


Undertale: A Story of Me, Frisk

by META_mahn



Series: Hope Project [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Blood and Gore, Gen, Headcanon, I accidentally slid Charisk in there, Retelling, This Fic Is Basically Homestuck, True Pacifist, author insert, but thats only on chapter 31, flavor text chara, good job me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-08
Updated: 2016-11-08
Packaged: 2018-05-12 12:20:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 43
Words: 72,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5665882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/META_mahn/pseuds/META_mahn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fortune, also known as Frisk. A peculiar one, that girl. By all means, she should not be here. By all means, she should not be alive. Much less a brilliant young girl of twelve years old, already eligible to go to high school. Maybe she really is fortunate. Maybe the winds of fate really do blow her way. Or maybe whatever powers may be take pity on her. Or maybe her determination is so powerful, it leaks into the world around her.<br/>But as little as she realizes it, this is not the first time she has been in the underground. She is trying to perform the impossible, to save the one who resigned himself to a cruel fate. Maybe, with a ghost from the past, she can perform the impossible act. Of course, I'm helping as well. I would like to see this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello AO3! This is my first fanfic I've ever written, originally a fanfiction.net series. But I kinda like having less restrictions here. Hehe.
> 
> So basically AO3 will be my uncensored versions of things, where I can cuss as much as I want, do anything I want, while fanfiction.net will be toned down a bit. Not like it matters because I don't do smut. And gore will only happen if I really want it to. But cussing will happen.
> 
> Updates will happen every day until it catches up to fanfiction's series. Then it will follow that upload schedule.

### Prologue

My name is Frisk. Or, at least that's what everyone calls me. My real name is Fortune, but that's something my entire life hasn't been.

I used to live with my parents, or should I say parent. My mother died giving birth to me. Then, when my father died in a car accident, I went to live with my grandfather. When he died from old age, my brother and I just kind of became wanderers, living off of our parents' and grandparents' savings and life insurance. Because my brother was only eighteen, and I was only eight at the time, the insurance companies and the government didn't trust us with the money. They assigned an investor to take care of the money, giving us what we needed sort of like a pension fund.

We mostly went between the cities our parents and grandparents lived in. We would sometimes sleep in our parents' house, sometimes our grandparents' house, sometimes in some random hotel along the way. My brother and I would cook our own food and wash our own clothes, and I mostly homeschooled myself on my brother's laptop, taking interest in history. We maintained this lifestyle, not the worst possible outcome, but not the best we've ever had or dreamed of, until he died.

He died one day in a freak pothole accident. No one knows why, the engineers said it should have been secure, officials blamed the engineers for not being careful enough, and I only had a few things left to remember him by. I had his laptop, always pristinely maintained in that black laptop bag, his wallet, which I found in my bag, and a heart-shaped necklace he brought for me, in the case if he couldn't be with me anymore, I would have something to remember him by. I distinctly remember clutching that necklace, staring at his broken body at the bottom of that hole. For some reason, the necklace felt warmer than my hands. I could never get that detail out of my mind.

That was two years ago. I'm twelve now. I've been alone ever since, no friends, no one who really cares about me in this world. To everyone, I'm just another part of the backdrop of everyday life. I still go back to my family homes, but I never stay for long because they bring back too many memories of happier times. Now, I just wander the cities, staying near the streetlights to feel safe. When I'm bored, I read the old legend of Mount Ebbot, or play one of the numerous games on my brother's laptop, still like new. Or sometimes, when I'm feeling particularly bored, I go to my grandparents' house, get on that old moped, and ride around Mount Ebbot. When I'm lonely, I lie down in a bed or sit in a chair and hold my necklace, remembering my brother through that necklace of mine. I've told myself, "This is childish." But some part of me always wants to hope that some part of Jeffrey is still with me, either following me, or in that necklace.

And just when I thought this was about to be my life, that one day came along…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://soundcloud.com/meta_mahn/sets/undertale-a-story-of-me-frisk
> 
> Soundtrack. PLEASE do not spoil yourself in the soundtrack. That means, do NOT listen to Chara's Story and The True Angel. (or don't listen to me, it's a free internet.)  
> Those rules will be edited once we get there. But those are the very end.


	2. Falling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm falling. Am I dead? I can't be, can I?  
> Help me...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so, it all begins. Oh, how little she knows. How little she knows the future she has ahead of her.  
> Prologue isn't a chapter. It's an introduction.

### Chapter 1: Falling

I'm going to die here.

Strangely, that thought was comforting. Plummeting to my death in the darkness. Dying kind of like my brother. My body will be broken to little bits, twisted at weird angles. No one will really care about the fact I'm dead. And on the plus side, I'll finally be back with my family in whatever afterlife exists. That thought made me smile. _I'll finally be with you again, brother…_

I thought back to how this even managed to begin. What was I doing, when I thought it was a good idea to go to Mount Ebbot when I knew there was about to be a storm? I was halfway around the mountain when the sky cracked with lightning and rain began pouring down. With no shelter, as the only path there is at Mount Ebbot is quite high up, I was forced to park my moped near the road. I brought the keys for the moped along as well as my stuff and my brother's laptop, in fear of it being stolen, and ran for the cave, not watching where I stepped nor watching for what I was heading toward. By the time I saw the massive hole in the ground and an odd vine on the ground, it was already too late. I tripped on the vine and fell down the hole.

Surprisingly, my first thought wasn't "I'm going to die! AAAAAAAGGHHH!" It was "Why is there a vine this high up a mountain?" And then, before I had time to ponder that question, fear kicked in, then an eerie peace as I accepted my fate.

And so I plummeted, down into the mountain. I could feel my hair rustling past my ears, my pullover catching wind in the rapid descent. It didn't truly matter whether I closed my eyes or not, it was too dark to see anything.

"Never thought you'd see the legend come true, huh, Frisk?" I muttered while falling. I didn't hear them. They were sucked right out of my mouth from the wind. I recounted the legend of Mount Ebbot while falling. I already read the legend so many times, I could recount it by heart. Or, at least I tried to. But the wind made it hard to think. And so, I closed my eyes. Just before I blacked out, I faintly remember my necklace glowing with a red light.

* * *

 

I was dreaming of my grandmother, me safely tucked in bed, with her looking over me. Or rather, I was this time just a silent observer, watching my young self be taken care of by my grandmother.

"Fortune, would you like to hear a story?"

My young self nodded. Even though she knew what story it would be, she was still filled with joy. _Is this one of those delusional thoughts people have before they die?_

"Well, calm yourself down, Fortune. You wouldn't want to get too excited and not be able to sleep. Hold on, I'll get the story book." She hefted the large book off the shelf and flipped to a story.

"A long time ago, humans and monsters lived alongside one another in peace. They were friends, and would frequently help each other."

 _Wait. This is the story about Mount Ebbot. Isn't this a bit…dark for a child?_ I thought. But I kept listening.

"Then one day, humans decided to wage war against the monsters. For what reason, we don't know. But the monsters were easy to defeat."

"After their defeat, the monsters were sealed underground by a powerful spell, one that would require the souls of seven humans to break."

"Ever since then, seven humans have fallen down the mountain, and none have returned alive. Chara, the first who fell, was returned by a strange monster. Next was Priscilla, Chara's friend, who always eagerly waited for her friend to return. When Chara returned dead, she decided to jump into Mount Ebbot, just like how Chara did," she croaked out, in that voice of hers that made her sound like an ancient, wizened sage.

"Next came Rav, a brave but foolish young adventurer. When he heard of the story on how two young girls went into the heart of Mount Ebbot, one returning dead, brought out by a strange monster. And so he went, and no man nor woman saw him again."

"After Rav went his niece, Caroline. An aspiring young dancer she was, and as much of a fool as her uncle. When she was was six, Rav went into the mountain. A decade later, in search of Rav, she went as well. And just like Rav, no one saw her again."

"It wasn't until centuries later that two siblings, Erin and Eric, decided to go down the mountain. Erin, being a studious young girl, always brought her notebook around. Eric, being a culinary master, brought along his trusty cooking tools and apron. Both of them went up to study the mountain and observe its resources. Both never returned."

"And finally, the last unfortunate soul of ours. Jacob, a young sheriff, stumbled upon the mountain's mouth. Thinking that a brigand that he was chasing would be hiding inside, he dismounted his horse and went into the cave. He was never seen again."

My child self giggled in joy as Grandma turned off the lights and turned around, facing towards me. It wasn't Grandma's face. It was the face of a strange pale man. His eye sockets were empty, and his face had a long scar on it. When he stared, I had the feeling that he could see into my heart and mind. When he spoke, he spoke in a tone of voice that wasn't Grandma's. Saying it was a strange, alien feeling would be an understatement. I knew he was powerful, and he could kill me right now if he wanted to.

"And you. You should wake up soon. You've got quite the adventure ahead of you."

And then everything went black.


	3. Welcome to the Underground

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What kind of place have I fallen into? Who is that man? I have to be going nuts.  
> ...  
> You're not really my "best friend," are you...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh how little you know. Everything will be clear, but not now.  
> For now, try to survive.
> 
> (This review of all the stuff I wrote is giving me new ideas)

### Chapter 2: Welcome to the Underground

I bolted up. Immediately I regretted it, with my spine making an awful cracking and popping sound from being stiff, I assumed. "Oww…" Black spots danced in front of my eyes as I made the mistake of sitting up too quickly, and I almost collapsed.

After my vision cleared, I could finally see my surroundings. I was sitting in some sort of a cave, on top of a bed of golden flowers. My brother's laptop was still in its bag, undamaged, thankfully. A warm ray of sunlight was shining down on top of me. It felt like I was sitting on a small, generic part of Mount Ebbot's grassy slopes. I was sitting on one that day for about an hour…Wait. That day I fell down Mount Ebbot. Why am I not dead? I looked up. What seemed to be kilometers up was what appeared to be a large sinkhole, leading down to where I was sitting. "Where…am I?" I panicked and looked around, grasping for my necklace. I breathed a sigh of relief when I found it just where it belonged, around my neck.

Now that I had all of my belongings together, I could bear to spend a moment and get up to examine my surroundings. It appeared I wasn't in just some naturally formed cave. Dark pillars held the walls up around me, in an architectural style I was unfamiliar with. A strange rune, bearing the resemblance of three triangles with wings above it, was inscribed into many doorways and arches around me, most of them collapsed. One of them, however, was cleared of debris. It almost looked like it wanted me to step through. Tentatively, I stepped towards it. I picked up a stick off the floor, holding it in front of me like a quarterstaff. As I did, I thought I saw a strange pale man in the corner of my eye, but when I spun around, I saw nothing. With my heart pounding in fear, I ran off towards the archway.

Inside the room after the archway was…a flower? _What is a flower doing here? And how am I seeing in the dark?_ That question was soon answered as I realized that my necklace was emitting a red glow in the darkness, which only led to more questions that I couldn't be bothered to answer in the given moment. I walked forward, checking all my sides.

"Howdy!"

I sprang backwards. "W-who was that?"

"Oh hey! A new human! I'm Flowey! Flowey the Flower! Your best friend!"

 _Flowey? What kind of name is that?_ I eyed the flower suspiciously.

"Golly, you must be so lost down here. Has anyone taught you how things worked?"

"Uh…no?" I chuckled nervously, trying to not let my fear and apprehension show.

"Aw, shucks. Guess good ol' me will have to do the job!"

My necklace's heart floated up in front of me defensively, and I felt much lighter on my feet. I remembered back to when Jeffery died and my necklace felt warm, and when I was falling down my necklace glowed a red color. _What is going on…?_

"Ah, good to see that! You're familiar with your soul, aren't you?"

"…soul?" I muttered. I was, at this point, completely confused. It seemed like my necklace had a mind of its own at this point.

"Yes, your soul! The culmination of your entire being! You know, that red floating heart you've got there? Try freely moving around!"

This, in turn, left me even more confused. But I tried thinking of moving left. As if by magic, the necklace floated me to the left. I realized I had all six degrees of freedom. _What the heck is going on?_

"Your soul starts of quite weak. But with lots of LOVE, it can grow strong! Stronger than some of the strongest monsters down here!"

"Monsters? And why am I floating?"

"Yes, I hope you know the legends. You know, the monsters that got stuck down here a thousand years ago?"

I nodded. I knew the legend by heart. And if that was true, I don't think the monsters here would treat me too kindly. Most likely, they would resent me for my race trapping them underground.

"Well, good! One less thing I have to explain! Also, about the floating thing…don't worry about it! It means your soul is powerful enough to freely move, which makes my next job easier." I swear I could hear impatience of some sort in his voice. My necklace rose up defensively. I thought I could hear my brother's voice in my ear, saying "Don't trust him."

Flowey kept rambling on. "Down in the underground, LOVE is shared through…friendliness pellets."

I remembered once while with my brother, a strange man approached us and tried to sell us some "friendliness pellets." We politely declined five times before just saying no, because the man would not stop asking us to buy them. A few minutes later we saw the man sitting in the back of a police car.

"Here, I'll give some to you!" Flowey did an unsettling wink. My necklace grew a bit more agitated. "Ready?" Flowey continued. "Gather as many as you can!"

From behind Flowey, five small white orbs appeared behind him. They launched right at me, and I moved a bit to the left. They whizzed past, making a very not friendly sound.

"Hey, bub. You missed them." Flowey's face changed from a look of happiness to a slightly annoyed face. He threw five more orbs at me. I procedurally dodged them.

"Are you stupid?" Flowey was getting a bit angry. "Run. Into. The. Bu-FRIENDLINESS PELLETS!" _Did he just try to say bullets? Guess this was a good option._ Whatever it was, I still proceeded to dodge the orbs.

Instantly his face shifted. "You know exactly what's going on here, don't you."

"N-no?" I stammered. This was getting bad. I didn't know what Flowey was planning, but it wasn't something good. And now he's thinking I saw right through his plan. But what was even more disconcerting was the pale-faced man in the back corner of the room, watching these events unfold.

"DIE." Flowey conjured a sphere of white orbs around me. I looked back. There was nowhere to run. The sphere was closing in slowly…very slowly. I huddled against the wall. _I can't die just yet…I'm too young! This has all got to be a bad dream!_

The pale man waved a bony hand through the air and vanished somewhere into the shadows. Instantly, the orbs vanished. Flowey was equally as confused as I was. "Where did all my bullets go?" He raged at nothing. What he didn't see was a strange figure behind him, conjuring up a ball of fire.

The figure threw the fireball, and it hit Flowey square in the face. He shrieked in pain, and vanished into the ground.

"W-who are you?" I shouted into the darkness.

"What a monstrous creature, terrorizing an innocent little girl…" the figure calmly said. Her words were soothing, and my necklace seemed to declare it safe, dropping back down to my chest, glowing red. "Hello. My name is Toriel. What is your name?"

Name? I thought back to my brother's advice. "When someone asks you for your name," he used to say, "never give them your real name if you don't know them." I dug for a name in my mind. "Chara." I stammered out.

Her expression changed. "I see. Chara…come with me. It's not safe here." She headed out the archway on the other side. When she left, I felt the area where the pale man was. There was nothing there. The pale man scared me. I didn't like him, but the thought that someone wanted me to live, for whatever reason, was comforting. _Whoever you are, I promise you, I'll make it out of this underground alive._

For the first time down here, I wasn't filled with fear. I was hopeful, and I was determined.


	4. The Ruins' Shadow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I guess Toriel's trustworthy. I mean, she hasn't tried to kill me yet. Why is she refraining from calling me "Chara," though?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...

###  Chapter 3: The Ruins' Shadow

Toriel seemed quite friendly. She led me through the door, and instantly I was bathed in torchlight, revealing a huge chamber, the ruins of some ancient castle looming over me. I took in my impressive surroundings, and I remembered my grandpa's obsession with old antiques. _He'd have loved this place._

We walked onwards to a closed door, and some very obvious pressure plates on the floor. "Um, Toriel? If this is a trap, isn't it a bit…obvious?" I asked.

"Trap? Oh, no, no. This isn't a trap. This is merely a puzzle in your new home, the Ruins, as us monsters call it. There are many like it."

She stepped on four of the switches in the array of pressure plates, flipped the switch, and the door opened. "These puzzles are essentially the combination between diversions and doorkeys. They are quite common in the Ruins, and please, Chara, get used to them." She said the name 'Chara' as if it hurt her in some way. Before I had the time to question her about it, she moved onto the next room past the odd door that seemingly blended into the hallway.

Out of curiosity, I stepped on the two remaining switches. They made empty clacking sounds, like their mechanisms were removed. _I was half hoping for something there…_ At the same time, I was thankful the door didn't lock itself. I wasn't sure how and if the puzzles even reset. There was an old proverb on the wall, which was probably the solution to the puzzle. I paid no real attention to it and moved on.

The next room was one big, long, hallway. Toriel stood at the entrance. "To progress here, you will need to flip a series of switches. Do not worry, I have labeled the switches to flip."

"So this is another pre-solved puzzle for me. Doesn't that defeat the entire purpose of the puzzle?" I asked.

If I offended her, she didn't let it show. Instead, she laughed an unfamiliar laugh to me, a sort that almost silently said, "I care about you."

"Of course, I would let you solve your own puzzles. I do not doubt your intelligence. However, some puzzles are quite deadly." I stopped asking from there and followed her along.

She stopped at a small bridge. On the wall, there was a switch, and next to the switch was three big neon yellow arrows pointing at a single lever. _Obvious, much?_ I flipped it and Toriel seemed satisfied.

Both of us walked a little farther, and at the end of the hallway was a few spikes and another painfully labeled lever, as well as one that was not labeled. I pulled the labeled lever, and Toriel left the room, satisfied with my "progress." When she turned her back and walked out, I curiously pulled the third lever. It stayed in its "up" position. I pulled a bit harder. It stayed.

I examined the inside of the lever with my stick, and when I poked around on the inside, I felt a small rock, jamming the inside. _Well, that doesn't even work…_ I gave up and carried on to the next room with Toriel.

In the next room was Toriel standing next to an oddly shaped target dummy. "Being a human in the underground," Toriel explained, "monsters may try to fight you. You must be prepared for these situations." I silently hoped I would never need to fight a monster.

"When you enter a dangerous situation, your soul will automatically try to defend you." I remembered back to my 'scuffle' with Flowey and when I was falling down. "You do not need to attack the monster. Instead, talk with the monster, and I will come to resolve the conflict. Please, practice with this dummy."

 _A dummy? Am I supposed to talk with a dummy?_ Confused, I walked up to the dummy. My necklace, again, rose up defensively, and I could feel my body become weightless, almost. _What do I say to the dummy?_ "Uh…"

The dummy didn't react. _Is it supposed to say anything to me?_ "H-hey?" I questioned. It remained silent. _This isn't going anywhere, is it._ I decided to give it a light poke with my finger. No reaction. I looked at its state of slight disrepair.

I continued poking the dummy. By the fifth time I poked it, the dummy moved. I jumped back. The dummy shifted slightly, gave me an annoyed look, and floated off. Toriel looked equally as confused as I was.

"Um…Toriel? Is that supposed to happen?"

"…uh, moving on then." She quickly exited the room, almost glad it was over.

The next room had another puzzle that Toriel said I could solve. It had a winding light patch on the floor, and when I got to the end of the room, I could see a hallway joining it up with the room next to it. Toriel moved onwards to the next room, but before I could join with her, a strange frog jumped down from the ceiling, my necklace rising up defensively. _A fight? What do I do?_

I remembered Toriel's advice. Searching my mind, I could recall the monster from mythology. _A Froggit. They live sad lives. Saying nice words to them would help._ I opened my mouth to speak, but it made the first move. The Froggit opened its mouth, and charged up some sort of an attack.

"What is going on here?"

Toriel noticed the two of us, and the Froggit charging up its attack. She angrily looked at the Froggit. With an ashamed look, it headed away.

"Are you fine?" Toriel asked, after the Froggit left.

"He didn't touch me."

"Good, let us continue on."

There was a plaque in the center of the room that read "The western room is the eastern room's blueprint." The hint, I thought.

I walked back to the previous room and slowly recorded the lengths of the lighter curved patches on my brother's laptop. _Four steps forward, three steps up, four steps forward, three steps down, six steps forward, three steps up, four steps forward._ I closed the laptop. "Toriel, I have the solution!"

"Splendid, child!" It seemed she wanted to avoid using the name 'Chara.' I walked back to her. "Toriel, it's four steps forward-"

"Now that's nice and all," she interrupted, "but some puzzles are a bit…deadly. Like this one. She gestured to rows and rows of spikes. "Take my hand, and I will guide you through this one.

We walked across the spikes, some retracting as we went, me mentally tracing back over my work. _I did get the solution right, at least._ She walked onto the next room, and I followed her.

When I entered the next room, she sounded a bit more serious. "Child, I have a difficult request to ask of you."

I was a bit worried. "What is it?"

"I would like you to walk to the end of the room by yourself. Sorry for this." She bolted, without even giving me time to ask what she exactly meant.

There wasn't much to be afraid of. I didn't see any monsters leaping down to try and kill me, I didn't see any pits of fire or snakes, only a pillar at the end of the room, which I looked around. On the other side was Toriel, standing flat to the pillar. _Alrighty then._

I reached the end of the room, and Toriel came out from behind the pillar. "Splendid! I'm sure you were aware of the fact I was behind that pillar the whole time. I did have a reason to do this. I needed to test your independence."She pat me on the back and announced that she needed to do a few things, asking me to give her my phone number. I gave it to her. Despite completing this trivial task, I felt happy. And here was the first sentient creature I have met down here that wasn't shrouded in mystery and didn't want me dead. I felt like for the first time in a long while, here was someone I could fully trust.


	5. The Ruins, Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a cozy place. The residents are weird, but I like it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (headcanon that Frisk is a decent speaker and also does hobbies like do stage magic in her spare time)
> 
> At least everything went well.

### Chapter 4: The Ruins, Part Two

Toriel ran off to grab some groceries, telling me to stay put. Naturally, I thought that would be a terrible idea, as standing still on the streets would just attract all sorts of unscrupulous people. I assumed the underground would be the same. So I moved onward to the next areas in the ruins.

I stopped by a small pile of leaves, and excused myself to a bit of messing around. I put down the laptop bag, and lied down in the leaves. A small monster that looked like an upside-down cup of Jell-O scooted up right next to me, who I gave a little pat and told that I meant no harm. It rested in the leaves next to me, as there was enough space for the two of us. It almost reminded me of the times when my brother and I would lie down in the leaves that fell on our grandparents' lawn. That thought filled me with a warm, fuzzy feeling.

I couldn't stay forever, so I sat up and gave the monster, which I identified as a Moldsmal, a little pat. "Sorry, I can't stay." The Moldsmal gave a little wiggle and continued lying there.

I found a little room with a bowl of candy shaped like various monsters on a table, with a note that said, "Take One."

I glanced around. No one watching. The Moldsmal was nudging around in the leaves, too occupied with whatever Moldsmals did. I slowly tried to take the entire bowl away. It didn't budge. I tugged on the bowl, and it didn't move. I tugged harder, and the bowl broke off, spilling candy all over the floor. Red-faced, I decided to just fill my pockets with assorted monster candies, taking one for my Moldsmal friend, dropping it on top of it. The Moldsmal gave an appreciative wiggle as the candy sort of…dissolved into little sparkles. _Huh._

**"You know what you did."**

"Huh?" I looked around. "Was that you?" I asked the Moldsmal. It looked as confused as a blob of jelly could look, and slid away into where it lived. "Must have been my imagination," I signed off.

**"And you think that imagination isn't reality down here?"**

"Who's saying that?" I was nervously looking around.

**"By your obliviousness, it appears the procedure was successful."**

At the last second, I saw the shadow of the same pale-faced man I saw a few times before as he vanished into wherever he went. Again, I examined where he was. Again the walls and floor yielded nothing but cold, hard, nothing.

By now I was already freaking out about this man, so I called Toriel. I dialed her number, and she picked up on the third ring.

"Hello? This is Toriel speaking."

"Hey, uh…what should I call you?" I tried not to let my fear and apprehension show.

"Call me whatever you want, please."

"Is just…Toriel fine?"

"That will do."

"Alright. Uh, Toriel, you know every monster in the ruins, right?"

"I do. I also know a majority of their names."

"I think I'm being followed by one of them. Do you by any chance know about a pale faced man? With a long scar across his eye?"

"Pale…faced…man?" Toriel's voice instantly shifted. "That..." She sounded for the first time ever, scared.

"T-Toriel?"

Her voice changed right back to that caring voice she used normally. "Ha, you have quite an imagination! Are you sick? Should I come get you?"

"No, I think I'll be fine."

"Well, in that case, it was nice talking. Goodbye!"

The phone clicked and the call ended.

I breathed in. I breathed out. "Who are you…?" I asked to the shadows. Like normal shadows, they quietly did not respond. _Like polite shadows,_ I thought privately.

**"It's rude to talk about people who are listening."**

The voice of the man was back again, but the man was unseen. I ran.

And I fell because of some collapsing floors onto a bed of leaves, breaking my fall, although my ankle got twisted slightly in the fall. Brushing myself off, I limped on.

The following puzzles were quite easy. I fell through a floor, but I looked up and saw the supports for the correct path under the crumbling floors, cleverly disguised. I recorded the path on my phone, and I passed the puzzle quite easily. I found a puzzle with three switches arranged around pillars. Then I ran into a really frustrating rock.

I pushed three rocks before, and this was the fourth rock I had to push in order to lower some spikes. But when I went to push it, it refused to budge. Not in the way that it was too heavy, I felt it actively pushing back on me. When I gave up pushing it, the rock started talking.

"You want me to move?"

I was taken aback. "You can TALK?"

"You're pullin' my leg, right? You walk around here, see jelly blobs bouncin' around, walkin' goat people, and a talkin' flower, and you're gonna complain about a talkin' rock? You really do know nothing, do you? Answer the question."

"Uh…yeah, I want you to move."

"Alrighty then." The rock moved forward a few feet. "There. Happy now?"

I sighed. This rock was the most troublesome rock I had ever met. "No…I need you to move onto that pad there."

"Ah. I think I got it." The rock moved itself onto the pad, and the spikes lowered. A little disgruntled, I moved onward. But just as I was about to step over the spikes, they popped back up.

"Alright, rock. What did you do?"

"Rock? Excuse me, young lady? I am a fine piece of shale and limestone composite, imbued with magic. If ya wanna talk to me, do so correctly."

"Just…I need you to get on that pad. And stay there." I was getting a little angry.

"Alright, alright. Don't get your panties in a twist." The rock moved back on the pad, and I furiously stomped on through the next room, absolutely sick of this. I was so blind in my anger and resolve to just get through this that I almost tripped over a ghost.

Luckily I caught myself on the wall before I could fall on top of the ghost. "Hello?" I poked the ghost a few times. He didn't react, so I went back a room. In that room was a mouse, furiously scrabbling at a smooth table leg, trying to reach a piece of cheese. I picked the mouse up and put it on top of the table. We both were quite satisfied with ourselves afterward.

I went back to the room with the ghost in it. The ghost noticed me the second time, and started loudly shouting "ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ" in an attempt to convince me he was still sleeping.

"You know you're not convincing me, right? I know you're awake."

"ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ"

"Could you uh… please move?"

"ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ"

I was about as tired of this as the dummy from before was tired of what I did. I suddenly wished I could fly away just like him. Then I could probably fly over this ghost, or just fly out of the ruins in general. Without that ability, I had to resort to the only idea I had.

"Hold on, up you go, bud." I tried to pick the ghost up, but he phased right through my arms. _Well, Frisk, what did you think would happen?_

The ghost, after all of this activity, finally decided to get up. My necklace rose up.

Then he spoke. "I-I'm just in your way, aren't I?" He started crying tears that defied gravity and spilled towards me. I dodged to the side, avoiding the first few tears, but more tears flew at me. A few of them hit my skin, and they stung like acid.

"Aaah!" I quickly wiped off the tear. My skin in that area was bright red, like a bad sunburn. The ghost was too busy crying to care. _Maybe I should cheer him up._ "Hey, buddy. You're not weighing anyone down. I was just walking through."

The ghost stopped crying and gave a little chuckle. "Cheering me up? Really not feeling up to it right now, sorry." He tried to lean against the wall the best he could. Being a ghost with no arms and no legs, he sort of slumped against it like a discarded coat.

This wouldn't do. I needed something else. I started thinking about what I could do. What did I have in my bags? Laptop, a few cords, playing cards-

Playing cards. They were my brother's stage magician cards that he never used in public. He could never wrap his brain around the inherent mess in the quick movements of a stage magician. But through his frustrations, I managed to pick up a few card tricks from him.

I quickly started thinking of which trick I wanted to use. _Maybe I could turn a red card into a black card? No, a bit simple._ I eventually decided on a harder trick, swapping a card out with a piece of candy.

I set up everything while the ghost was turned. When he turned back around, I was ready. I held up a single card, and turned it back and forth. I bent it, I spun it, then I twisted it, and in that moment I slipped the card away. I held up my hands, making it look like the card vanished.

Next, I clapped my hands together, rubbed them, and bent my wrists at just the right angle for the piece of candy and its wrapper to fall into my nested hand. I did the twisting motion I did with the card, and I presented the piece of candy to the ghost.

"He, he…that's pretty cool. Here, let me try something…I call it 'dapper blook.'"

He started crying shimmering tears, which gathered around his head. It formed…a circle? A tube? Something. Moments later, it was clear what it was. It was a shimmering bowler hat made out of his tears. "Do you…like it?"

"Like it? I love it!"

The ghost appeared taken aback. "Oh wow…I've never had someone say that to me before." He turned away. "My name is Napstablook. I normally come to the ruins because it's pretty empty most of the time, and the monsters are polite enough to leave me be. But today, I met someone nice. What is your name?"

"Chara."

"Chara…no, it can't be you. She's been gone…for a long time. Sorry, whoever you are. I'm in your way, aren't I?" Before I could complain, he slowly vanished.

"Hey, wait!" But Napstablook didn't hear as he vanished. _Oh well._ The leaves he was lying on seemed quite comfortable, so I decided to lie down on it and take a nap. Before long I was actually asleep, unlike Napstablook.


	6. Fifty-Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This isn't just some random dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This isn't a random dream.

### Chapter 5: Fifty-Two

I was dreaming in my sleep.

In my dream I was standing in a sort of laboratory on the surface at night. I could tell, because there was a window that showed stars outside. There were strange machines scattered around the room, with odd engineering drawings on the walls. Some of them were written in English, some of them were written in what looked like strange symbols, and all of them I had no idea what function they were.

There was one other person here, a small human girl sitting at a computer, with short, brown hair. She sighed, and spoke in my voice. "Audio log, loop number 52." As I realized I could move myself, I walked closer and examined myself. _Audio log?_

"I have bid my last few regards to my friends before I snip the timeline. Progress towards my goal is slow, but I will not falter in trying to save him from a fate he does not deserve."

Timeline? Goal? And who was 'he?' Who was I saving from a fate he did not deserve? As if my own self didn't notice I was here, she continued on.

"My associates have already performed their part of the procedure, and they are on standby for the reset. I will perform my end of the procedure tonight."

"I will save him. I have to. He didn't deserve this."

She closed the audio recorder and turned off the computer. After the computer made its shutdown ring, she put her head on the desk.

"I can't imagine how this feels for you all. I don't like doing this to you all either. But I have to do this, I'm sorry. I can't bear to see him suffer like that. I'm sure you all understand."

She removed the hard drive from the computer and stored it inside a vault, which was promptly whisked away to somewhere unknown. She then walked up to a strange pod-like machine, and stepped inside. A row of buttons beside her lit up, and as if she had done it so many times that she could do it in her sleep, she tapped a series of them. The pod lit up with a blue light, and hummed with quiet energy. Red liquid flowed in transparent tubes around it.

"Reset."

A brilliant flash of light shook me out of my dream.


	7. Chara

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I swear you're supposed to be dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Say hello to Chara. She's a friend of mine. I hope she's a friend of yours, as well.

### Chapter 6: Chara

I bolted up and checked my phone's time. Five minute nap. Whew. Nothing seemed to be missing. Someone was nice enough to watch over my stuff as well. Wait…

"AAH! WHO ARE YOU?" I screamed at the person sitting next to me.

The young girl, around my age, chuckled. "Who am I? Oh, someone who fell down here. Just like you. Except I fell long before you did." Although she was smiling, her red eyes seemed blank and emotionless, almost like a robot's.

She looked around. "I'd love to stay and talk, but the monsters might catch us. Then we'd be in trouble, wouldn't we? Let's get moving."

I picked up my bag and followed her. On the way we bought a few baked spider goods, which she promptly ate. We talked on the way.

* * *

"So what's your name?" I asked.

"My name? I'm sure you know my name. You're using it, after all. Don't give me your name. I already know."

"You're…Chara?"

Chara giggled. "Yes, that's me."

"How do you know my name?"

"You mumble in your sleep." Something about how she said that told me she was lying. But I wasn't too keen on pressing her for information.

"Who are you?" I asked.

She blankly stared. "Didn't I tell you? I'm Chara."

"But…you're dead." I answered. "Dead people don't talk, much less buy donuts and eat an entire one in a couple seconds."

"Dead? I guess so. I feel hungry enough to have been dead for a long time."

I sighed. "No, I mean you're here. And solid. How?" I should have expected her to give me no straight responses as we walked through a room with three Froggits, one of them babbling about four frogs, another of them which said something about "Pressing X to skip text," as Chara pushed a comical "X" button in the air, and a third Froggit who said something about yellow nameplates on monsters who don't want to fight, all of which just made more questions.

Chara seemed to know exactly how many questions I had. "Alright, fine. I'll answer your questions. But only if that guy leaves. It's rude to listen to other people's conversations, you know."

A shadowy corner stirred as Chara spoke. The shadows turned to reveal a flash of a pale face, and then vanished away.

"Hmph. Now that he's left, I'll answer your questions. One by one for now. I'm hitching a ride on your necklace, essentially. I'm possessing it, if you want to be more technical. This body is just a shell of memories and determination, so I can vanish whenever I like. This X button? Don't ask. You'll end up more confused. And yellow nameplates, don't worry about that either. You'll end up on the floor with a migraine. Just know that I'll point out whatever monster isn't interested in fighting anymore."

Surprisingly, she actually answered a few of my questions, and leaving me with just a few more. "So…what's determination?" I asked.

"Determination? It's what you use to save, and when you die, load."

"What's saving and loading?"

Chara didn't seem to care too much about the barrage of questions as we moved on to the next room. "You know when you get that nice, warm feeling in you, that surge of confidence or heartwarming goodness?" She dropped down into a pit and retrieved a ribbon. "That's when you've saved. Yes, that does mean you can save wherever you want, when you learn how to manipulate determination. Loading is a bit different. It's based off of memories, where you recall the feeling you had when you last saved. Remember it enough, and a white orb will appear. That's your save file. Touch the save file, and you'll find yourself back at your last save location. Here, I got this for you. Who knows, you might look nice in it."

All of this sounded kind of messy and honestly, like a video game. I sincerely hoped she wasn't messing with me. She clearly knew more than I did, but how much she was actually telling me, I didn't know. But she seemed okay.

I hopped down another hole and flipped a switch, lowering the spikes and letting us walk on to the next room, where there was a perspective puzzle that Chara commented on. "Never understood this puzzle. It's not like we can't walk around the pillars and see the switches, right? Whoever made this puzzle was probably pretty stupid." I made no comment, and Chara seemed to shut up. We both then walked on in silence through a long hallway.

Halfway through, I smelled the scent of baking. Almost entranced, I walked towards it. Chara smelled it as well. "This smell…it smells like…"

"Home." I finished for her. I knew this exact smell. It was the smell of grandma's butterscotch-cinnamon pies that she used to bake. A childhood favorite of mine.

We both headed toward it, until Chara remembered something. "I can't let her see me. People think I'm dead, remember?" She gave a little wink before poofing into a cloud of mist that was sucked into my necklace, which I held. It was glowing a warm red. "I'm still here, don't worry. I'm just in your mind. Unlike that other guy, I respect your privacy, so don't worry about me seeing all your dirty thoughts."

I blushed. "I do NOT think what you're…thinking of!"

"Hehe. You just thought those dirty thoughts, though."

I would have stayed angry at her, but I quickly hid the anger as the figure of Toriel approached. "Oh, hello child," she spoke. "I did not expect you would come so quickly. I baked a pie for us to share. Would you like some?"


	8. Heartache, Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Did I say something wrong? I'm sorry, mom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's rude to talk about people who are listening.

### Chapter 7-1: Heartache, Part One

The pie was amazing.

"Wow…" I groaned. "This is incredible."

Chara spoke in my mind. _The tastes blend together so well._

 _How do you even know how it tastes?_ I asked.

She didn't reply. 

"Like it?" Toriel asked.

"Yeah...it's just amazing. With that layer of white chocolate on the bottom as well..." _It's just like my grandma's own pies._

Toriel gave a warm chuckle. "I knew you would. I made it just the way you liked it." She picked up the dirty plates, and went to wash them after showing me my room.

When I was alone, Chara rematerialized. "Hey, wonder if I can nab some pie for myself."

"I really wonder what she meant by that."

"Huh?" Chara asked. "Whaddya mean?"

"Toriel's barely known me for a day, and she referred to me as if I lived my entire life with her."

"Oh, that? Well, you did get a call from Toriel, asking your preference."

"And you just answered for me?"

"Yup." She giggled. "Besides, no one can turn their nose up at a nice dessert pie like that. You might not like cinnamon or butterscotch, but it's impossible to turn down something hot on top of white chocolate."

"Ha, you're right there, Chara. Let's see if we can steal you a slice."

We got the pie, alright. Toriel didn't seem to notice or care. But when I looked away for a second, and turned back around, the pie was gone, Chara's face covered in crumbs.

"What?" She mumbled. "I really like this pie, okay?"

* * *

I stayed with Toriel for the next week or so. Together we did a lot. We went bug hunting, Toriel showed me all the secrets of the ruins, started homeschooling me, and took care of my needs.

On the third day, she took me through the whole ruins, past the spiked floors, past all the puzzles, into the cave where I fell down into. A small circle of green, covered in yellow flowers, was in the center of the cave. The walls of the hole leading downward were still wet with moisture from yesterday's rain, reflecting sunlight down into the caverns. The wet flowers refracted the light across the entire cavern, turning the yellows gold and basking us in a warm glow.

We stood there, looking at the scene for a good few minutes. Finally, she spoke in a gentle, motherly tone.

"Thank you for accompanying me, Chara. The walk here can feel very lonely at times. I'm glad to have you here."

I kept staring. "It's very beautiful here."

"It is. This must bring back memories for you."

We stood silently for a while before Toriel spoke again, very softly. "This was you and Asriel's favorite spot, wasn't it? It feels like only yesterday when Asriel brought you home."

I was confused. "Asriel? Sorry if I forgot him...but who is that?"

"Asriel?" Toriel snapped. "He's your brother! How could you forget him? You two used to always want to come here together! It was your favorite spot! It's one of the two spots where you could feel the sun-"

As if she was hit, Toriel collapsed to the floor. "Is something wrong?" I asked. "Should I get some help?"

She grasped the golden flowers, shredding them and staining her hands with green. "Nothing...it's just…"

"Please," I asked, while putting my arms around her. "Mom…"

Toriel dropped the flowers, almost startled. She then hugged me and started crying.

"I'm-I'm so, so sorry, child. Chara and Asriel...they meant the world to me. I loved nothing more dearly than those two children. I used to take them here all the time, where they would look so happy, almost oblivious to our problems underground."

She gripped tighter. I was running out of breath, but it didn't matter. My vision swam, the colors were too vivid, the light was too bright, the sounds fading out, becoming surreal, though I wasn't sure if it was because of lack of oxygen, Chara's pangs of raw emotion coming through our link, or if I just didn't like seeing Toriel cry. Though I knew Chara would never admit it, I guessed Chara was deeply upset by this as well, on the verge of tears if she could cry while being inside a necklace.

"When they died...I don't think anyone realized how distraught I was. On that day, it felt like Mount Ebbot, and everything surrounding it was falling on top of me. It hurt to talk. It hurt to move. It hurt to breathe. It hurt to look at anything both of those children used to own. And when he...when he made that royal decree, in his fit of rage...in my own fit, I left. I lost everything."

"You...you look so much like her, child. You look so much like Chara to the point that I tried to convince myself that you were Chara, and you weren't dead."

"I tried to replace her with you," Toriel whispered, taking a keen interest in the flower patch, "but I couldn't, in the end. No matter how hard I tried, I-"

Toriel tried to fight back her tears. I was fighting my own, as well. It was bringing back memories of the painful days after my brother died. But both of us failed, Toriel failing more spectacularly, her body shaking as she sobbed.

"I just never could forget that day! His-my son's-body, lying in my arms, crumbling to dust. Her small body, as fragile as the flowers we were kneeling on, coated in his dust." She took a shaky breath and wiped her tears away. "I'm sorry. This was all unwarranted. Please, child. Forgive me, but I need some time alone."

Toriel walked out of the cavern slowly. She walked stiffly and upright, almost like marching. As soon as she went out of sight, however, I heard paws smacking the floor as she ran.

Both Chara and I stayed silent for a while after that. Finally, Chara rematerialized and spoke.

"This place...Toriel buried me here. Frisk…"

"Yeah?"

"Please. Let's go home."

We walked home, together. On the way, some spiders waved at us, trying to get us to buy their donuts that we weren't in the mood for. We walked past Napstablook, who, on seeing our faces, politely stepped aside. When we got back, no one was inside the living room. Toriel's chair was empty and cold. Quiet sobbing and a music box could be heard from her room.

"That music box...Asriel made that. It was the first thing he made with magic, and he gave it to me. He called that song 'Memory.' It was his theme song, in a way. We all liked it."

The rest of the day was mostly both of us taking a walk through the ruins. When dinnertime came, Toriel came out of her room with a glum expression, saying only "Sorry for being irresponsible."


	9. Heartache, Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's that man again. Why do I feel like I'm purposely being left out on something?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everything will be explained, Fortune.

### Chapter 7-2: Heartache, Part Two

Later that night, I tossed and turned in my bed. But I couldn't get the memories out of my head. I couldn't stop remembering the days after my brother died. I couldn't get the feeling of Toriel's neck fur pressed against me, trembling as she cried for her deceased children.

"Chara?" I called out. But no response.

"Chara?" I looked at the necklace she was supposed to be in. It was glowing softly. Guess even wispy immaterial girls needed to sleep.

I got up to go to the temporary outhouse that was set up by Toriel, since monsters didn't need to use the restroom. It was nice, as far as outhouses go. It had running water, a small glowing fungus as a light, and even some soap.

Before I got there, however, I heard voices talking around the corner. I could make out Chara's voice, and the voice of the strange man. They were in some odd debate or lecture, the pale-faced man speaking in a strange language that I somehow understood. Chara evidently understood it, as well.

" **I know with a complete soul, you are tempted to indulge upon your newly returned emotions, but you know we must finish this loop, Chara."**

"Yeah? That doesn't mean we need to hurry about it."

" **No. You know the plan as well as us, if not better. You have given up large amounts memories as well to accelerate the process. So many, in fact, that you only kept enough key memories to guide your process of memory collection. And unlike Fortune, your soul also suffered from ether leak, so we cannot guarantee the intactness of all key memories."** Irritation was creeping into his voice.

"I did that? Man, I was being dumb. Wish I still had them. But anyways, it's memories we need. Aren't we accumulating memories right now?"

" **I would enjoy continuing lecturing you about the plan and how important your role is, but apparently we have an eavesdropper."** The man turned towards me, and for the first time I saw his face, or should I say, his skull, in higher detail. His eye sockets had two balls of light, one orange, one blue. Two large cracks came from both of his eye sockets, running the length of what appeared to be a bare skull. His hands were bones, with large holes in the middle of each of them, the metacarpals curving around the center, his left twitching in frustration, his right perpetually flipping through notes on a Blackberry. " **This conversation concerns you, Fortune."**

Tentatively, I stepped out. "What do you want?"

" **Do you have any memories of the past, Fortune? Memories that don't feel like yours?"**

"Uh...I had a dream once?" I more asked than stated.

" **What was in the dream?"**

"Something about...loop fifty? Fifty-two? And about saving a person from a fate he did not deserve?"

" **Ah, loop fifty-two. So the theories still do work perfectly. Pity that was a useless post-log in terms of factual information. However, it does mean memory trickle is beginning. Anything else?"**

"Uh...no?" I was afraid to answer too much. "If...I can ask a question, what is memory trickle?"

He turned his cryptic gaze onto me, making my skin crawl. " **That is a question that will answer itself in time. For now, Chara, do not tell her. All that you need to know is..."**

Chara decided to interject. "Yes, yes, 'Oh, Frisk! You must leave this place! You are the future for all humans and monsters!' Ugh. You know how tiring saying that gets across all those loops? I sound like some quest giver out of a video game! Come on. Cut me some slack. I need a break as well."

The man sighed. " **Three more days. That is all we can spare."** He then vanished.

We both stood there for a while. Then, I broke the silence. "Who was he?"

"An acquaintance," Chara answered, "and a massive jerk. But yeah, he's right. We don't have the luxury of staying here forever. Besides, there's a greater reward waiting for us if we move."

I didn't respond. We both walked back to the room Toriel prepared for me. Whispers came from below.

"Chara, listen. It's Toriel."

The whispers were a bit hard to make out at first, but I managed to make out a few key phrases.

"...haha, nice…"

"...could you promise me...if a human ever comes through here, could you please protect them?"

"...I have to go now."

Paws clicking on the stone floor could be heard. Avoiding detection, we snuck back to the room, where Chara jumped back into my necklace, and I went back under the covers. The door creaked open, a paw holding the knob. It creaked shut, Toriel evidently convinced that I was fast asleep.

* * *

The next few days were a bit lighter. Toriel seemed to have suppressed the lingering feelings of her outburst, though the tension was so thick you could use it for flypaper. But we resumed regular schedule, knowing we were on the clock.

On the third day, we had to move. So I packed my bag, and asked Chara how I should do this.

"It's simple, really. Ask her you want to go home. Oh wait, I should have remembered. You're a terrible liar. Never mind, let me do it."

"How?" I asked.

"Let me control your body for a bit. Don't worry, I won't kill anyone. Not when we've come so far."

I went outside for a bit. A single orange leaf fell onto my face as I bid farewell to the house. That thought filled me with emotions, and with those emotions weighing on me, I used SAVE, keeping the orange leaf as a memento, to recall to this moment in case I needed to LOAD.

"SAVEing? Can't blame you there. It's a good idea to save often. Anyways, time for me to control the body?" Chara asked.

"Yup…" I answered, more curious how this would turn out. than anything.

I felt my vision fading around the edges, then it all popped back to normal. When it recovered, I realized that even though I was trying to raise my right hand, I couldn't.

"Wow, it feels nice to have a body for a bit again!" Chara observed in my voice. "Anyways, Frisk. Let's get this over with. Think of it...as getting your wisdom teeth pulled."

"Yeah, let's." My "voice," if you could call it that echoed from the necklace. It was disorienting. "How do you stay like this, Chara?"

"Oh, I get used to it."

"Hey, what did that guy mean last night by 'a complete soul' and something about emotions?"

"Later, Frisk. We've got to deal with this first. Everything will be explained piece by piece. Ha. That's a pun you won't get. Not for now, at least."

Chara approached Toriel. "Toriel?"

Toriel's ears perked up. "Yes?"

"I'd love to stay, but...the surface."

Toriel sighed. "I see. So it had to happen. Please, wait here."

She dashed off to the basement, and Chara gave me my body back. "See? Nice and simple."

I said nothing and followed Toriel. She was waiting for me just down the stairs.

"Hello. You wish to know how to return home, do you not?" She smiled as she said this.

"Yes…" I replied.

"Ahead lies the exit, a one-way entrance to the rest of the Underground," she chillingly said, "and I am going to destroy it. Now please, go upstairs."

Toriel walked on. I chased. Her expression changed to an emotionless state. Her voice adopted a strange chill.

"I have seen this too many times. Humans...they come and go here. They die. If you leave, he...Asgore...he will kill you. Now go upstairs."

She kept going. I followed closely, until she suddenly stopped, and I ran into her. For a moment, her gaze softened. Then it hardened again.

"You're no different than the others, are you. Despite the warnings, you still foolishly want to go out there. You won't survive a second out there, Chara." I thought I heard a quaver in her voice when she said the name "Chara."

"I...had a dream. Someone was telling me to go to the barrier." I answered, despite Toriel not even asking a question.

"Exactly the same as the rest. They all said the same. They all told me they had a dream." She sighed. "If you want to go so badly, then…"  
Toriel entered a strange combat stance. Flames erupted from her paws, spiraling around her arms and wrists. The black torches on the walls lit up, casting our shadows towards one another.

_Watch out!_ Chara echoed in my mind. My soul rose up. _You ready?_ Chara asked.

_Is it okay to say 'no?'_ I answered, completely honest.

_Words will still make it through her. Just say the right things._ She fell silent as Toriel and I braced ourselves for battle, her flames spiraling around her, my soul glowing a crimson red, both glows locked in a duel for dominance.

"Prove to me...you are strong enough to survive."


	10. Heartbreak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I don't want to do this!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The battle against the gatekeeper begins!

### Chapter 8: Heartbreak

If I said I wasn't ready before, I definitely was not ready for this right now.

As soon as Toriel finished her sentence, two snakes of fire weaved towards me, at lightning speed. I barely dodged the first one, and the second one grazed my cheek, leaving a painful burn and jarring me back to reality, with Chara shouting at me.

"Duck!"

I dove for the ground as a large fireball sailed over my head, bouncing off the wall in a shower of sparks. Flames were swirling around the room, raising the temperature to nearly unbearable degrees, but Toriel stood, a stoic expression on her face as the flames bent to her will.

"How do I do this?" I asked Chara.

"Don't know! I forgot how!"

"But what if I don't want to fight?"

"Not the time!" Chara shouted, as a shower of sparks flew at me from all directions. I weaved around them as best I could, in a deadly dance of fire, though some landed on my legs and arms. I shouted in pain as they hit and fell to the ground.

"Eat something!" Chara said. I searched my pockets for something while dodging a literal storm of fire, with sparks and embers making up the raindrops. I found two monster candies I picked up a while back, and ate them both. They tasted like sweet apple, and melted almost instantly in my mouth. My burns magically healed. I patted my pockets. Nothing else left. Chara left everything else around the corner, which was blocked off by a weaving gateway of fire. I knew that no matter how good I was at dodging attacks, I wouldn't last much longer in here.

Toriel in the meantime relentlessly nailed me with attack after attack. I tried to dodge the attacks as best as I could, and Chara tried to move my soul as much as she could to help me dodge, but one or two attacks would always make it past our combined efforts. With every attack that hit, I felt my strength sapping away.

"What are you hoping to achieve?" Toriel more stated than asked. "Attack or run away. This is how it is out there."

I bobbed and weaved while retorting, "There has to be another way other than attacking or running!"

I thought I saw a lull, a momentary few seconds of calm in Toriel's onslaught of fire. A softening of expression. Then her stoic, cold stare came back. "No. For humans, there are no alternatives outside those doors." She resumed her barrage. I did my best to dodge, but sparks kept landing on me, continuously burning me and sapping my energy. "Do you really think Asgore would let you live?"

Chara decided to interject. "Frisk, she's not listening."

"I know," I responded. "I don't want to fight her. Got any bright ideas?" At this point so many attacks hit that I could barely stand. I wasn't dodging so much as Chara was dragging me around with my soul.

"Not yet. I don't see any options avaliable," Chara observed. "Try to look alive, Frisk. Stay determined." Shakily, I straightened myself out into a combat stance. Big mistake.

Toriel threw a large fireball ahead of her. Had I stayed down, it would have harmlessly passed over and broken apart on the wall. But now, it was coming right for me. Without any time for me to react, and without time for Chara to move me, I braced against the impact and shut my eyes, hoping death was at least swift, and hoping more that in the last few moments, I could LOAD.

The fireball roared, piercing my closed eyelids with light. Time seemed to slow as I could feel the fireball approaching.

Two feet.

One foot.

Six inches.

Five.

F o u r.

Three.

**T w o .**

_**O n e.** _

...

"NO!"

The heat seared me...but the flames never hit. I slowly opened my eyes as the sparks from the fireball littered the floor. Toriel was looking away, her hand outstretched. The fire in the room was dying down, the temperature becoming bearable again.

"Why?" she whispered. "Even when faced with death, you still don't fight back. The others all fought. Do you really think they will show you mercy?"

I threw down my stick. "Everyone's got some reason they're fighting, right? Something other than 'I want this barrier broken.' Hurting someone out of duty makes people feel empty. What if I do just the right things?"

Toriel sighed, and lowered her arm. Her face was downcast. "Do you know why I am doing this? It is okay if you do not understand."

"Seven other humans have fallen down here. I took care of all of them as if they were my own children. But all seven of them eventually died. The first died to an illness. The other six died out beyond that door. Please, understand why I do not want you to leave."

We were silent for a long time as we stood, the room cooling down from our battle. I shivered a little bit from my sweat cooling down. Finally, Toriel spoke again. "There are others waiting for you on the surface, are they not? Family, friends?" I-or rather, Chara, because she jumped in to save me by taking control of the body-hid my feelings of pain from the mentions of "family."

"A friend," Chara answered. "A friend that I need to see."

"I see," Toriel answered. "Looking at you, I see the same look in the first child's eyes. Quietly glowing with hope. Please, before you leave, take these gifts and remember me. And Chara...be good, okay?"

She gave Chara a royal purple cloak, obviously made for cold weather, and a piece of her pie in a Tupperware container, after kneeling down to hug our body again. A slight dampness touched the side of our face. "I'll never forget you," I whispered back.

"Call often, okay?" she answered. "And stay strong."

Toriel walked out of the chamber where we battled, after giving me a warm look with wet, ruby red eyes. She picked my bags up for me, and put them next to my feet, after giving me one final pat on the head.

"Go on, Chara. Open the door."

The door rumbled open into darkness. I stepped through, and Chara decided it was a good idea to light up my necklace, bathing the corridor in a red glow. I turned around to wave at Toriel, but she was gone. We were alone.

"Clever. Very clever."

I jumped back. "Flowey?"

"You feel good about yourself, don't you? Not killing anyone?"

"Shut it, you demonic turd." Chara grumbled back.

"Oh, now is that the way you talk to your best friend? Heeheehee."

I snapped. Or rather, Chara snapped. "Alright, look. I don't know you, and the one time you met me you tried to murder me with your 'friendliness pellets' of death. So if you don't want to get uprooted, you better back the FUCK off before I do that to you."

"Jeez, what are you on? Did Toriel put chili powder in your pie or something? Did someone replace your toothpaste with acne cream? Heeheehee. Even though you appear all nice and golden, let's see how long it takes before you snap and finally kill. Will it take a relentless killer? Or will it take...something else?"

He cackled maniacally and left, while Chara gave me back the body. "Sorry," Chara apologized. "I should stop hijacking the body so often. It's yours, after all."

"It's alright, Chara. Besides, I probably couldn't do much but stammer out a few words. What's done is done, Chara. Let's go onwards."

She appeared next to me, in her own "body," with a red cloak on this time. "Yes. Onwards. The motto of all determination."

Both of our chest areas glowed red with determination, mine being my necklace, and hers being...whatever was her core in her body. We marched onwards to the end of the hallway. Awaiting us was another stone door.

"Ready?" Chara asked. "Beyond this door is the real world. Not a sheltered place where Toriel can patrol."

"Ready." I answered. "Let's do whatever we came to do over so many times."

The door groaned open. After being in dim red light for so long, the light pouring in blinded us both. Cold wind billowed our cloaks back, like some superhero's cape. Going against the wind, both of us walked onwards, into the light and wind…

I remembered something. A smaller detail from the dream I had. An important looking folder, which had the words "Plan briefing" on it.

It had one single, solemn word as its title.

_**UNDERTALE.** _


	11. sans.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's not like I haven't seen weirder. I still have the feeling they're keeping some information away from me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, associate.

### Chapter 9: sans.

Crunch.

Crunch.

Crunch.

The snow fell softly, speckling our cloaks, and the cold nipped our faces like a little puppy.

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

The wind billowed out our cloaks and froze my sweat, biting into my skin with ice. Chara and I made small talk about ourselves. Or rather, Chara told me about her, since she knew all about me already. She didn't have too good of a sense of humor. She liked any and all chocolate, and refrained from squealing in delight when I dug a small fun-size pack of M&M's out of my pack, broken and crushed from my fall. I personally wasn't in the mood for any. She came from the Middle Ages, though she didn't act the part. She always wanted to make things. Kind of like me.

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

Our rugged brown combat boots made deep impressions in the snow. I was never one for "women's" clothing. Apparently, neither was Chara. Thick forests lined either side of the path we were walking down. A fallen branch, too heavy for something useful. We walked over it, Chara giving it a little punt.

Crunch. Crunch.

_**SNAP.** _

We whirled around. The branch was broken. Cautiously, we went back to examine the branch, Chara facing the other direction in case of a threat, exactly what my brother and I would have done. Except I was usually the one on watch. And normally, there wouldn't be a third shoeprint, much less one worn smooth.

"Someone's following us." I told Chara. She nodded and vanished while I used another trick my brother taught me. I took out my phone and pretended to be checking something, when in reality I had my phone's front-facing camera on.

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

A flicker of shadow captured by the camera. My reflexes were quick, but Chara's reflexes were quicker as she took sudden possession of my body and nailed the "take picture" button before the shadow could vanish.

"Nice going, partner." I whispered to her in my thoughts. I flipped open the image. It was a strange, hooded man, too short to be the pale man. I shivered and closed the image, going back to the camera.

Crunch. Crunch. Stop.

In front of me was a large fence of sorts. I could easily slip between the poles, but before I did, something else caught my eye on my phone.

The screen blacked out. I frantically pressed the power button, but to no avail. Finally, the screen lit up again, but this time, there was only one word.

**Human.**

I yelped. The screen changed.

**Don't you know how to greet an old pal?**

**Turn around and shake my hand.**

Trembling, I looked behind me. It perfectly matched the shadowy figure I saw before. I slowly turned around, my hand outstretched in a handshake. The figure reached its right hand out, left hand reaching up…

PPPPPPPPPPPPLLBBLBBPLBPBLPLLBBPPBPBPLBPLBLPLBPLBLPLBPL-

My look of fear turned into a look of confusion. In front of me was an actual skeleton. Two points of light for eyes. An inch shorter than my 4'8" height. Wearing a blue hoodie, basketball shorts, and a pair of fuzzy slippers. Holding my hand. With the biggest grin I've ever seen on anyone.

BLPBLBBBPBLBLPBLPBLPLBPLBPLBBLBLPBLLwheeeeeeeeeeeeeee…..

We stood there silently for a few seconds, soaking in what just happened. A grin was creeping up on my face. His eyes got a bit brighter. His grin stretched a little farther.

Neither of us, Chara included, could help it. All three of us exploded in laughter, a combination of relief and anticlimactic tension.

Finally we got up, me wiping a tear from my eye. "oh, man. haven't laughed that hard in a while. The old whoopee cushion in a hand trick. Never fails to make a good impression," he groaned.

I chuckled. "Me neither."

His grin was still on his face as he put his whoopee cushion back into his jacket pocket. "hey, girl. name's sans. sans the skeleton."

"Hi, Sans. my name's-"

He cut me off with a wink. "whoop. don't need to. i already know your name. frisk, right?"

I was a bit creeped out. "How?"

"well, when you're trompin' down a forest, talking to some weird girl that vanished away, she called you frisk. so i thought, 'hey, maybe her name's frisk.' after all, that's the logical thing to think, right?"

"Uh…" I chuckled. "I guess that makes sense." Though I was pretty sure he knew my name from some other source.

"anyways. you're the human, right? that's hilarious. because i'm actually supposed to be on watch for humans right now. but, y'know, i really don't care about hunting humans. other hand, my bro's a human hunting fanatic."

"Eh…" I was getting a bit overwhelmed.

"what? can't you say anything other than those three letters in weird variations? nah, i'm pulling your leg. hey, i think that's my bro over there."

We slipped through the fence, where there was a lamp on the other side in front of a sentry station.

"behind that lamp. trust me kid. it'll work."

I deadpanned him. People always said I had an impressive deadpan. "Really."

"yeah."

"A lamp."

"yeah. you gonna hide or not?"

"Fine." I scooted myself right behind the lamp. There was no way this was hiding me…

Space distorted around me, creating a safe bubble towards the direction the path led. I stared at Sans, dumbfounded. He only gave a little wink before a tall skeleton come barging in.

"SAAAAAANS!"

"what, pap?"

"IT'S BEEN EIGHT DAYS! AND YOU STILL HAVEN'T RECALIBRATED. YOUR. TRAPS! AND YOU NAP FOR TOO LONG EVERY NIGHT!"

"'s called sleeping, papyrus. you should try it. mebbe this cool lamp will help you sleep."

Two angry pairs of eyes glared at Sans. Chara sighed in my head.

"NO! ARGH! SEE, THIS IS MY PROBLEM! I'M HAULING BOTH OF OUR WORKLOADS AROUND! WHAT IF A HUMAN COMES THROUGH HERE? WE HAVE TO BE READY TO CAPTURE IT!"

Papyrus calmed down a bit. "Then, I, Papyrus, will finally obtain everything I so coveted and justly deserve! Fame, fortune, friends! And I can finally join the royal guard!"

"mebbe this lamp can help you, pap." I shot him another angry glare. He gave me a wink while Papyrus got all worked up again, his skull turning a shade of pink.

"NO! THAT LAMP'S NOT HELPING! JUST LIKE YOU! ALL YOU DO IS JUST SIT AND BOONDOGGLE!"

Sans chuckled. "chill out man. i've gotten a **ton** of work done today."

Papyrus gave him a glare. "Don't…"

"a skele- **ton**."

_**Ba-dum-CRASH!** _

Papyrus facepalmed, letting out a muffled scream. I kept my wits about me, however, wondering who did the drums. I looked around the sentry station, as far as my head would go without Papyrus noticing.

There was a little white dog on a small drum set. Playing the drums for Sans.

"SAAAAAAAAAAAANS!"

"come on, pap. you're smiling."

"I AM AND I HATE IT! Why do I have to do so much just to get a little bit of recognition?"

"sounds like you're really working yourself…"

"DON'T."

"down to the **bone**."

_**Ba-dum-CRASH!** _

The little white dog slapped its paws on two miniature drums and a miniature pair of crash cymbals, rigged up so the dog could use them.

Papyrus, meanwhile, was hunched over from exasperation. "Ugh! I will attend to my puzzles. As for you, put a little more 'backbone' into your work! Nyeh heh heh heh heh!"

Papyrus walked away, leaving only Sans standing there. The dog jumped off the drum set and ran off, after grabbing a small dog treat from the sentry station.

"alright kid, you can come out now." Space returned to normal, and I was once again crouching behind a normal lamp. I walked out. "What was that?" I asked.

"huh? oh, that was my bro papyrus." he answered.

"No, what happened with the space?"

"oh, that? it's the lamp. pretty cool lamp, huh?" I was pretty sure it wasn't the lamp. But Sans continued. "alright kid," though it sounded like he wasn't referring to me, "here's a real question."

He closed his eyes. When he reopened them, the light was gone. "you're alive again. how?"

"Eh...what do you mean? I've always been alive."

"no. not you. the other girl. chara. i know you can hear me."

"Uh, Sans...I'm not sure if she'll talk to you, and honestly she hasn't told me anything, so…" I was fiddling my thumbs when Chara appeared next to me.

"Well, same answer to you, Sans. I've always been alive."

"i know that. but how are you consciously speaking?"

"Apparently the half-life of a soul was much longer than you guessed. You should be smart enough to add it together." Chara said, a smile on her face.

"and what are you gonna do to frisk here? you know what will happen if you try anything."

"I'm well aware of the consequences. I'd uh...rather put my past behind me, Sans."

I had to interject. "What are you guys even talking about?"

Both of them looked at me. "Is it too soon to tell?" Chara asked. "Would it disrupt memory allocation?"

"mebbe. though, judging the look on her face, she's already had plenty disruption. tell her a little bit. did g-man tell you anything specific to not say?"

"He was being vague. Again." She sighed. "If he wasn't so _good_ at this, there would be no reason to even have him on the project."

"normal for that guy. anyways, frisk. you're probably confused out of your mind. memories, ether, souls, i geddit. heck, i would be confused as you are right now if i didn't know anything. just, uh...keep at it, okay? and chara?"

"Yes?"

"tell her as much as you're allowed, piece by piece. i dunno if he really admits it or not, but you're just as important as frisk here. and be a good kid, alright? i'm takin' a shortcut."

Sans walked off towards the ruins. The snow kicked up behind him, and when it settled down, there was no trace of him left.

"How does he know my name?" I asked Chara.

"You were...associates with him." Chara replied. "I'll slowly explain all this soul theory to you. You're smart enough to deduce what we're trying to do. But there's gonna be a gap. That gap will fill itself in at the very end. Come on, Frisk. We gotta get going before Papyrus comes back. And I'm not sure if the lamp thing will work again."

We walked through the forest as the trees got progressively shorter and less intimidating. I took a deep sigh of relief. There was a box nearby with a note that said something about items stored in the box can be transported anywhere. I stored my clothes and laptop into the box, leaving only my bag and phone. Then, I thought of something.

"Hey, Chara. I want to try to SAVE right now without really feeling anything."

Chara looked at me. "Sure, go ahead."

I got up, shook myself out, and breathed in the cold air. I thought of Sans, of the cold air, and of whatever Sans did with the lamp. It warmed me up a little bit. I thought of the dog, of Chara and Toriel.

From my soul and Chara's soul, the red mist of determination swirled and formed into a small, pulsing ball of white light, reinvigorating me. "That should do it, right?" I asked.

"Yep. That's a SAVE." Chara answered. "Let's keep going, Frisk. Maybe I'll explain a few things to you."

The ball of light dissipated and we continued walking onwards, away from the ruins. So many questions were in my head. Chara probably could answer a few of them, but I felt like many of them would be answered at the end, whatever the end may be. That alone filled me with the determination to keep going.


	12. Bones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This guy Papyrus...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quite a personality, that one.

### Chapter 10-1: Bones

 "Hey Chara."

"What?" she replied.

"That weird pale guy with holes in his hands said you were missing memories as well. What do you remember?" I asked.

"Actually, from here on out everything's blank. All I remember is Sans and another person, whose name I'm not allowed to tell, to run from a certain person, and to keep that spare donut we bought. That and a bunch of soulology and stuff I'm not allowed to tell. Hey, quiet down. It's Sans and Papyrus."

We cut the conversation as we walked towards their voices.

"So, as I was saying about Undyne," he said, before hearing my boots crunch against the snow. _Damn._

He spun towards me. "Hello, si-" He cut himself off and stared at Sans as Sans stared at me. They exchanged that look multiple times, before Papyrus started flailing about and screaming "OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!", Sans spinning around to keep an eye on him. Eventually Papyrus quieted down a little bit, though he still was incredibly excited. They faced away from me in a sort of football huddle, though both of them were still loud enough to hear.

"SANS! IS THAT….A HUMAN?"

I looked behind me to make sure Chara was backing me up. She wasn't. "Freaking asshole hung me out to dry…"

But Sans did have my back. "actually, pap. i think that's a rock."

"Oh." Papyrus looked kind of sad. "Well, pass on then, citi-"

"hey, pap. what's in front of the rock?" He didn't have my back. I gave Sans the angriest look I could give. He winked at me as I took out a notepad and wrote "You'll pay for this" on it.

"OH MY GOD! IS THAT A HUMAN?" shouted Papyrus, full of energy again.

"yes."

"SANS! I FINALLY DID IT!" He collapsed to his knees, face upturned and his hands on his cheekbones. "Undyne will...I'm gonna...I'll be so...POPULAR!" Sans and Chara both chuckled, one audible and one in my mind.

Papyrus got up, brushed himself off, and cleared his throat. "Human! You shall not pass this area! I, the GREAT PAPYRUS, will stop you! I will then capture you! You will then be delivered to the capital! Then...I'm not sure what happens next." He looked at Sans, who gave a little shrug. "IN ANY CASE! CONTINUE! But only if you dare!"

He ran away, screaming "NYEH HEH HEH!" like some cartoon villain while I fumed at Sans.

"SANS!"

"what, kid?" he asked, like nothing ever happened.

"You just-" I angrily gestured in Papyrus' direction. "You just-you just hung me out to dry!"

"hey, kid. at least you made him pretty happy. don't worry, i'll keep an eyesocket out for ya." Sans then walked off in the correct direction.

"HEY! GET BACK HERE!" I shouted.

"NYEH HEH HEH! ARE YOU, HUMAN, TOO SCARED TO FACE MY TRAPS?" a faint Papyrus voice shouted back. "PERHAPS YOU SHOULD FLEE! FLEE WHILE YOU STILL CAN! NYEH HEH HEH!"

I sighed and passed by a cardboard box sentry station, obviously made by Papyrus. I kept walking, passing a sign that said "ABSOLUTELY NO MOVING" next to another sentry station which I obviously ignored.

"Hey!" a voice growled. "Stop!"

I stopped. "Hello?"

A dalmatian came out from behind the sentry station.

"Did something move here?" He sniffed around as Chara came into existence behind the station. "Was it my imagination? If something did move, like say, a human…"

I gulped as he took out a long dagger, glowing blue.

"I'll make sure it never moves again."

The dog swung the dagger as I dodged. Instantly, he saw me, spun towards me, and cut my arm with his dagger. It cut into my arm with a hot flash of pain, but there was no blood, probably because it was magic.

The dog got incredibly excited. "Move? Move? Doggo see move?" he yipped, like an actual dog.

That got me thinking. If he only saw moving objects, then…

"He wouldn't be able to hit you while you're standing still, right?" Chara spoke, while Doggo began his next attack, swinging the dagger where I was. A tickle passed down the front of my body as the dagger phased through me. He started barking around, almost like chasing his tail, shouting "Human? Where human go?"

I decided to throw the stick I had in my now almost empty computer bag. He chased after it like any dog playing fetch, yipping away about fetch, while Chara casually stated "all dogs love fetch."

Once he returned the stick, he looked around, confused. "Where's the stick gone? Was it a ghost stick? Maybe I returned it to the afterlife? I need some dog treats for this." He returned to his sentry station, took out a dog treat, lit a lighter, and closed his eyes while smoking the dog treat.

"hey, kid. nice move."

I whirled around to look at Sans, staring at me. I fumed at him. "You just ditched me back there with Papyrus!"

"easy, kid. throw that guy a bone, will ya? not like he has 206 of those already. my bro seemed to really enjoy doing that." He glanced at Doggo, who was snoozing away. "we might wanna scoot. he doesn't like it when people are loud while he's sleeping."

He led me to a slippery ice-covered area. "the dogs love playin' fetch. all dogs love fetch. if ya throw that stick at the dogs, they might not care about fightin' anymore. but we're not here to talk about dogs."

"So what are we here to talk about?" I asked.

"my bro. he's got this...special attack. he calls it the 'blue attack.' it's all just blue magic. imagine blue stop signs. like how when you see a stop sign, you stop, right? so imagine if someone colored a stop sign blue." I nodded.

"and chara. guy said that if you wanna tell frisk anything beyond rudimentary soul theory, don't. he just told me. i'm goin' to grillby's. chara, want anything?"

"Chocolate shake." Chara replied, almost instantly, following me along and drawing lines in the snow with her foot.

"you and chocolate? hehe. you know that stuff makes you fat, right?"

"It's not like I can gain weight in this form. Being a ghost bound to Frisk has its benefits. For instance, eating whatever and not gaining weight."

"That's actually...really beneficial." I pondered.

"well, it involves dying. not sure you wanna go through that." Sans interjected with a light chuckle. "but hey, kid. if ya see pap, do me a favor and let him have some fun. guy's all good at heart."

Sans walked away, going towards the lights and chimneys I saw, skidding across the ice with all the grace of an ice skater. I went on a small detour, going north, where a snowman asked me to take a piece of him across the Underground. I put the piece in a baggie and followed the path Sans went on. Chara merged back into my necklace as Papyrus spotted me.

"HAHA! HUMAN!"

I stopped. Again, Papyrus blocked the way, with a blue orb in his hand. Sans was next to him, making a gesture for me not to speak, while Papyrus rambled on like a child.

"To capture you, my brother and I have devised a clever trap! I call it...the electric maze! As you can see, there is no maze. And when you run into the 'walls,' this orb in my hand will administer a hearty zap! Are you ready? BECAUSE! THE! AMOUNT! OF! FUN! YOU! WILL! HAVE! Is...actually quite small, now that I think about it."

I looked at the cleared patch of snow in front of me. No maze. I stuck my hand out and waved it around.

"TRY TO CLEAR THIS, HUM-bzzt!"

My hand reflexively jerked away. Papyrus received a strong electric shock, dumbfounded. He shook his head. "SANS! WHY DIDN'T IT WORK?"

"i think the human has to hold the orb, bro."

"Ah, yes! How could I, Papyrus the great puzzlemaster, forget!" He trudged through the snow, leaving a trail. I simply stared at him, almond-shaped eyes narrowing further than they already were. He could **not** be this dumb. "Hold this, human!"

He threw the orb into the air, landing right on my head. It was surprisingly light, and stuck on because of static electricity. He then walked all the way back, along the path he trudged. "And now try! Haha!"

He really was that dumb.

I simply smiled at him and traced the footsteps he took in the snow. When I finished the maze, Papyrus gawked at me.

"YOU SLIPPERY SNAIL! You defeated me so easily...HOWEVER! THE NEXT PUZZLE WILL NOT BE SO EASY! IT IS DESIGNED BY SANS!" Sans winked. "YOU WILL SURELY BE DEFEATED THERE! NOT EVEN I CAN SOLVE IT!"

This time, he moonwalked away, shouting "NYEH HEH HEH!" and taking the orb off of my head as he slid away. Sans stayed. "hey, thanks kid. my bro seems like he's having a blast. hope you are too."

"I think he should be a bit more careful on how he designs puzzles." I told Sans.

"hey, i said for you to give my bro a good time. didn't mean you had to be defeated by his puzzles. he's doin' fine. got your shake, by the way. grillbz gave me a second one, for frisk."

He uncovered a small mound of snow, revealing a brown takeaway bag and produced two chocolate shakes from it. In the blink of an eye, Chara was out of the necklace and sipping away at her shake. I took my shake from Sans and gave it a good examination. Everything looked normal about it. Sans noticed.

"paranoid? don't worry, didn't do anything to it. you can trust me this time."

I took his word and started drinking it. It was a chocolate shake, alright. One that melted in my stomach and spread its cold across my body.

"monster food. lovingly prepared by monsters, for monsters. not necessarily of monsters. heals your injuries and fills you up without ever making you feel like you've eaten too much."

It did make me feel pretty nice inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I got tired, okay, this chapter went on for way longer than I thought. Initiate fluff cutting.)


	13. Puzzles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> These skeletons are weird people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took you long enough to arrive.

### Chapter 10-2: Puzzles

We walked on, talking about Papyrus' "battle body" that he never took off. Chara flicked a few coins at the nice cream salesman, as denoted by the sign, and bought me a bar of ice cream that she put in my bag.

"well, be seeing ya, kid. nice talkin'." He walked off.

There was a ball of snow that Chara took a liking to. "Hey, it's the ball game! I used to play this all the time!"

"Ball game?" I asked.

"Yeah. You kick the ball towards that hole over there. It's kind of like golf. There's allegedly seven colors of flags, but I've only been able to get six."

Chara threw her empty cup into a garbage bin nearby, took a deep breath, and took off at a sprint. She kicked the ball, chasing it as it went. When it reached a certain position, she delivered a low roundhouse to the ball, kicking it towards an ice patch on the field and changing her direction at the same time. She rounded around it, and divekicked the ball into the hole. A yellow flag popped up.

"Yellow, huh?" She read a little bit of text on the flag. "Your sure-fire accuracy put an end to the mayhem of 'ball.' Hey Frisk, you wanna try?"

There was another ball at the start. "Sure, why not." I tentatively kicked the ball. It moved like a soccer ball. I decided to give it a few punts around, moving towards the hole. A green flag popped up. "Green. Your concern and care for 'ball' led you to a delicious victory. Can't you do any better?"

I tried again, this time being too jittery. The ball ran into corner after corner. Finally, after multiple failures, I managed to get the ball into the hole. "Purple. Even when you trapped, you took careful notes and achieved the end of 'ball.' Wow, Frisk. You uh...kinda suck."

I said nothing and headed off towards the ball that reappeared. A red mist surrounded my fists. My mind, for some reason, cleared. I breathed in. I breathed out.

 _ **Punt.**_ The ball went down the alley.

 _ **Punt.**_ I kicked the ball at a perfect angle, flying through the air, just a little to the left of the ice patch.

 _ **Punt.**_ I delivered a swift roundhouse to the ball. It flew towards the hole.

I slam dunked the ball into the hole, a red flag popping out. Chara's mouth was agape as she read the text on the flag.

"Bravery. Justice. Integrity. Kindness. Perseverance. Patience. Using these, you were able to win at 'Ball Game.'" She turned to me. "Dang, Frisk. Guess determination really does work wonders, huh?"

My mist was fading. I flexed my fist. "I guess it does." A few bits of paper currency littered the ground around my feet. "Did someone drop these?"

"Drop them? Nah. That's your reward for winning. Fifty big ones." She put them in my bag.

"HAHA! HUMAN!" A very red and orange skeleton shouted. "GET OVER HERE!"

I walked over to him as he continued shouting. "I hope you're ready for...SANS! WHERE'S THE PUZZLE!"

Sans simply shrugged next to him. "it's on the ground. can't you see it? trust me. there's no way they'll beat this."

It was a crossword puzzle sitting on the ground. I walked up to it and picked it up. There were some ridiculous words to find, such as "cigar" and "cig," and Chara's personal favorite, which I shared, "giasfclfebrehber." There were other words that made a little more sense. I chuckled and pocketed the word search.

"SANS! That didn't do anything!" he shouted.

"whoops. should have used today's crossword."

Papyrus took personal offense to this. "WHAT? Crossword? Why would you use those for a puzzle? They're too easy! Junior Jumble is harder!"

"ha. that's why they call it 'junior jumble.' stuff's for baby bones."

"...HUMAN! You shall solve this dispute! What puzzle is harder?" Papyrus asked me. Sans pointed at Papyrus.

"Uh...junior jumble! Yeah!" I answered. Papyrus exploded.

"SEE, BROTHER? I TOLD YOU! NYEH HEH HEH! HUMANS MUST BE VERY INTELLIGENT!" He ran off, cackling.

"thanks, kid." Sans said, once Papyrus was out of earshot. "i got a little story to tell. pap got stumped trying to solve the horoscope. tried to find anagrams. pap left you some spaghetti. though i wouldn't eat it if i were you. not like you can, it's stuck."

He pointed to a plate of spaghetti sitting on top of a table, with a microwave next to it, then immediately chasing after Papyrus.

I tried to grab the spaghetti. It didn't budge. I tried pounding it, but it was frozen solid. I got enough determination to save, but I still couldn't get a piece of spaghetti. Sighing, I kept walking.

I uncovered a crudely drawn map in the ground, where the snow seemed a bit thicker. It led me to a switch hidden in the snow, which I pressed to bring down some spikes blocking my path. A dog hidden behind the trees came and pounced on me.

I pet the dog. Its neck grew. It was a good dog.

Chara, however, had a mischievous grin on her face. "Hey, Frisk."

"What?"

"Wonder what happens if you pet him enough? Will his neck just grow infinitely?" she suggested, scooting towards the dog and petting him right behind the ears.

His neck shot up to the top of the caverns, howling in excitement all the way to the top. We both looked at each other. Chara answered, "The answer is yes." I answered, "We have too much time on our hands." We left the dog that way. No one else bothered us except for two more dogs, whom we played fetch with, and left us alone.

"Why are there so many dogs?" I asked, once all three dogs walked off, the first dog's neck shrinking back down.

"Probably because they make really good guards. There's such thing as guard dogs, isn't there?"

I said nothing because there was an actual puzzle in front of me, two blue X's drawn in the snow. I stepped on one, and it turned into a red O. I stepped on the other X, and pushed a button. Spikes lowered.

Papyrus was on the other side when he noticed me solving the puzzle. "What? How did you avoid my trap? And more importantly...did you leave any for me?"

"Yup." I answered. _All of it. Good luck getting it off the table._

"Wow...thanks. Fret not, human! I shall make you all the pasta I can!" He did his funny laugh, as we walked on to his next puzzle, a similar one.

"I got bored of waiting, so I rearranged the snow into the shape of my face! But all the snow froze to the ground. So now, the puzzle's solution is different!"

He wasn't wrong about that. If you squinted your eyes just enough and looked at the way he arranged the snow, you could make out the face of Papyrus. In any case, I stood back and thought. If I walked there, then looped around and stepped on that, then got right back off…

**Click!**

"Wowie, human! You did the puzzle without any guidance from my part...you must be a puzzle-lover just like me! I'm sure you'll love the next!"

The "next" in question was a colored tile maze. Each tile did something different, some tiles shocked, other tiles made you smell like fruit, some tiles made you fight monsters, all tiles had assorted functions, as described by Papyrus. He also declared that the puzzle was random. So random, in fact, that the puzzle just generated a straight path. Papyrus gave up after that.

I passed through more switch tile puzzles and dogs, fishing a bit of cash out of a snow poff.

Finally, after a dog in a huge suit of armor, and a really weird bridge, I arrived in Snowdin, a warm little town. Chara said that we should stay here for the night. I agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Doesn't mean I won't write anymore fluff. Actually, after this fanfic's over, the sequel will pretty much be nothing but fluff. And whatever plotlines I can cook up.)


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stories and mysteries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Revelations.

### Chapter 11: Frost

We booked a room at the local inn before exploring around. The shopkeeper of the general store told us about the town, seeing that we were new faces around here. So we trotted around town, two cups of hot chocolate in our hands, as the shopkeeper decided we were too young and it was too late for coffee. I didn't mind. Chara certainly didn't either, though she fussed a bit about how it was made using dark chocolate. We also bought some rabbit-shaped cinnamon buns to complement our hot chocolate, the first out of the batch. I also decided to stock up on some more ice cream to use as healing items. Chara decided to publicly show herself, since it really didn't matter. We didn't plan on staying for too long, anyways.

It was a small, cheery town. Christmas decorations were up for a holiday they called "Gyft Day." There was a bar named "Grillby's." I thought I saw Sans in there, making jokes. He caught eye of us and gave us both a little wink. I waved. There were also many small houses, a library, and a really big two story house.

While I walked, I noticed the monsters. Although they laughed with each other and were telling jokes, all of them had the same look in their eyes as a man who just lost his job, and was walking around the streets, partially trying to look busy, partially trying to hunt for a new one, a strange mix of desperation and depression.

I decided to ask around. Most monsters agreed on a few answers, specifically "Overcrowding, lack of sunlight, and hopelessness." Many of them also muttered something about "humans" and how "if just one more human would come, we could be free." Plenty of rumors were floating around about a human that just fell, as well.

"They're talking about me," I observed. Chara put a hand over my mouth.

"Someone will hear you." she hissed. "Come on, the library will have answers."

Chara dragged me off to the library, bits of hot chocolate splashing into the snow, leaving brown holes dotted along the ground. Inside was an anthropomorphic wolf. "Welcome to the library," he said, "and please, yes, we know the sign is spelled wrong."

I craned my neck out of the door. The sign very much did not say "library," instead saying "librarby." Huh.

"Hey, if you'd stop gawking at that sign, I've got a couple books on monsters. Maybe we can read up in the inn." Chara interrupted. She held a few books in her hand, the spines deteriorating and the pages slightly yellowed. The librarian silently nodded as I snapped out of it and followed Chara back.

"So why do no monsters acknowledge, you know, us?" I asked, pointing at myself."It's kind of a sad story." Chara answered. "Most monsters have forgotten what humans look like."

"Sans seems to know," I pointed out.

"There's a reason he knows."

We were silent as we approached the inn. I got the key out and unlocked our room. There was only one bed , though it was king-sized, thankfully. Neither of us were too happy about having to share a bed, though at least there was a shower and running water available. So while Chara decided to take a shower, more for luxury than for hygiene, I read the books.

It was quite informative. It talked about monster funerals and such, how monsters spread the dust of a loved one over their favorite objects, so that monster lives on in the dust. It also talked about the distinctions between human and monster souls. While monster souls were made out of in essence hopes and dreams, human souls were not. Chillingly, it stated that human souls did not need love and compassion to exist, unlike monster souls. I thought back to the time in the ruins, how some objects were dusty, like a photo frame, a box of toys, some shoes. Brr.

I also learned about the Barrier, the force that kept the monsters trapped underground. It required one human soul to pass through, and seven to break. It was formed after the war ended. As of the latest revision, there were six souls.

By the time Chara came out of the shower, I was about fifty pages into the first book. I looked up. She was wearing a bathrobe that was way too big for her size. It dragged behind her, covering her hands and legs and almost smothering her small stature, like mine, in cloth. I couldn't help but giggle.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"You look ridiculous."

Chara, unamused, plopped down besides me.

"Your turn," she mumbled.

The shower water was quite warm and soothing, after a cold day outside. I decided to think on what might happen while the water fell on me. We'd leave, Papyrus would probably try to capture us, and…then what? Would he try to listen to mercy? I could tell he wasn't trying to kill us. He probably didn't have a single shred of cruelty inside of him. Maybe I could talk to him and make him a bit unstable inside. Then, outlast him? It seemed like the best plan. But I wasn't too keen on the speech part. I doubted my skills in...there was no other option than to flirt with a skeleton. I furrowed my brow in slight disapproval of myself. What a plan.

I hopped out of the shower and brushed my teeth. When I got out of the restroom with no toilet, Chara was already fast asleep, her bathrobe rolled halfway up her arm. Her arm was another question.

It was a more paleish light, just like the rest of her, but it was covered in scars of various kinds. Some looked like cuts and scrapes, some others looked like sores that never truly healed. I poked around her arm, observing them. It woke her up, and she quickly covered up her arm, giving me a hostile glare. She scooted aside, giving me a bit of space to sleep, while she turned away from me. I slipped into bed. Before long, we were both asleep.

* * *

Another dream.

This time, it was again, me, sitting at the same desk. This time, however, the lights were on, the machines humming. There was a large chart on the wall, labeled "Timeline Diagrams." Sans was behind me, tinkering with an odd machine.

Frisk opened up the audio recording program and proceeded to speak. "Loop 79."

"We have decided to give every single loop that is not first or final a name other than a number and a bit of extracted essence. I have chosen the name 'Lima' for this timeline."

She went on. "This loop, we have found two important things. First, we have successfully created a little bit of monster soul this loop. We do not know how much more ether and magic we need, but it does in fact validate my theory."

"Second, Sans has discovered something growing in my memory catalyst, the necklace I wear. It seems like another human soul, almost. The resonance is similar to mine, but not exactly mine. We are trying to contact it, and see if it can speak."

Click. The dream shifted.

* * *

My vision was hazy. I stumbled around, and found my hands on some flowers. It was the Underground, the place I fell down into. A voice, distinctly male, just hitting puberty, was calling out.

"Help...please."

I tried to call out, but couldn't speak.

"Someone...I'm so alone. Please, I want to go."

I headed for the voice.

"Anyone? Please? Help, it's so cold…"

I found a figure sitting in the grass. I tried to touch the figure, but as my hands went towards the figure, it faded away, leaving behind a heart-shaped locket and an old dagger.

The dream went dark.

* * *

I woke up. Chara was gone. I tapped on the necklace. Nothing.

Standing up and stretching, I went out the door for a walk. The glow clock read, "12:00 AM." I heard voices in the lobby.

"Yes, everything is fine."

" **Good. Are you keeping her well-protected?"**

"I am. It's not that hard to run the defense magic."

I decided to interrupt. "Hello."

The pale man turned, sending a few shivers. " **Greetings, Fortune. Did we perhaps wake you up?"**

"No. Just the dreams again."

" **Which ones?"** The way he said that put me off.

"Loop 79. That Frisk named the loops, and called hers...Lima."

" **I never saw the point in doing that."** The man replied. " **But no matter. Was there more?"**

"Yes. Apparently we detected something inside my necklace." I replied.

"That would be me. Jeez, Sans pokes too hard." Chara spoke. "Come on, doesn't the guy know I was Frisk's protecto-eeeeeehhhhh...sorry…"

"Wait, what?"

The pale man sighed. " **Chara. Even after so long you haven't learned to watch your tongue in bad scenarios. Yes, Frisk. Chara has always been your guardian."**

"What does that mean?" I asked.

" **You don't know, do you? No, I should not expect you to know, or ever figure out yourself. How rude of me. I know you hate being lied to."** He took a deep breath in, a rattling noise. " **You see...Chara is not only your guardian. She is your brother."**

"Hold on. This might be loud." I warned.

The pale man waved his hand, and space bent around us. " **Do what you must."**

This time, I took a deep breath in. Chara covered her ears.

"WHAT?" I shouted. "Alright, first off, how the hell does that work? Chara is clearly a girl. How can SHE be a BROTHER? And I'm assuming this isn't slang. Second off, HOW DID SHE BECOME MY BROTHER?"

" **This is a harsh truth, but you never really got to know your brother."** The pale man said.

Chara uncovered her ears. She looked directly at me, with glistening red eyes, this time with a tinge of...regret? Sadness? Sorrow? "He died with your dad in the car crash."

"Yeah, but that doesn't explain…" I started patting all over Chara.

"Your dad died instantly in the crash, Frisk. Your brother took a while to die. He would have died from lack of oxygen. While he was dying, he-" Chara pointed at the pale man.

" **Call me Gaster."**

"-Gaster decided to make a deal with him." she concluded.

" **You see, I was tasked by the king to break the Barrier without using souls. I have been informed that you know about the Barrier. The king, not wishing to kill more humans than necessary, appointed me as the royal scientist. I researched, and eventually the research would lead to me falling into my own creation, turning my body into this."** Gaster gestured to himself. " **It also put me in the void with another presence. That presence is Chara."**

" **I continued my research in the void. When your brother died, Frisk, his soul was quickly fading. In his last moments, I struck a deal. Chara would protect Frisk as I continued research on your incredibly powerful soul. I took a small shard of Chara's soul and my soul, and implanted it into your brother."**

"Me? Powerful?" I asked. "You're looking at the wrong person."

" **Natural. You do not recognize your power. You are the human with the highest observed determination, higher than Chara's, whose determination is in the ninety-ninth percentile. The other humans were nowhere near Chara's."**

"In any words," Chara interrupted, "I was the person controlling your brother's dead body. Didn't look like a dead man, did he?" She chuckled. "Anyways, I tried my best in protecting you. By the looks, it seems like I did just fine, didn't I?"

Chara would not look straight at me. Guilt? "In any words...I'm sorry for seemingly abandoning you. Gaster informed me that on that day, a sinkhole would open up and kill us both. He had it down to the second. So I bought you that necklace to host the fragment of my soul."

" **I enchanted that necklace with defense magic, in case you needed it."** Gaster interrupted. " **Chara, please continue."**

"On the day the sinkhole collapsed, I transferred that little fragment of my soul into your necklace, which kickstarted the defense magic. When the defense magic started up, I threw you forwards with my slipping conscious state. You know the rest of what happened."

Chara looked at the floor, fidgeting with her bathrobe. I was too disturbed to care. I opened my mouth, but no sound came out.

"I'm sorry, Frisk. I'm not...the best of people, am I? I actually didn't want to help in the beginning." Chara muttered. "If...anything comforts you, just know...I tried."

" **On another note, this is a letter you wrote to yourself, Fortune."** Gaster handed me a letter, written in my own handwriting. I began reading.

"Frisk." It read. "I am loop number 86, nicknamed 'Angela.' If you are reading this, then you are unfortunately very, very, confused. Or as declared by Gaster."

Below that was a strange six-letter combination, almost like a password. "r1htfx."

Something similar to a memory flashed in my mind, almost like something unlocked. My mind was consumed by it.

* * *

A warm feeling of sunlight. Very hazy vision.

I smelled a musky scent of fur. There was someone holding on quite tightly, sobbing. It was the same voice from my dream. I was holding on quite tightly too. The someone's fur was quite soft, as well.

I shared the feelings of the memory, a feeling of sadness. I could inference that whoever was hugging me was a friend, perhaps about to leave. And just like that, the memory ended.

* * *

Not even a second had passed in the world of consciousness. I was still staring at the letter. Hoping for hints, I kept reading.

"Frisk, I don't expect you to understand the motives. But I know this much. If you had the chance to save a person you never knew, save for a few actions, would you?"

"I know you. You'd do it. You know that you tried to think of a way, for six whole months, that you could have taken the place of your brother."

"This is the same scenario. You've actually met him before, but you don't remember for a reason. That's okay. We're all cheering for you."

The letter ended with my own signature, although I never remembered signing something like this. I closed it up and returned it to Gaster.

" **Any new thoughts?"** he asked.

"No...just a lot of information to take in." I replied. "I'm going to sleep. After all, I've got to face Papyrus tomorrow."

Gaster un-warped the space and let me go to my room. " **Chara."** he said as an afterthought. " **Go. We are done for today."**

Chara shakily stood up, as if she hasn't used her legs for a while. She walked towards me, who was waiting by the stairs. Gaster, on the other hand, simply turned away and vanished. We stood for a while, silent. Finally, I spoke up. "Well, that was interesting."

"Frisk." Chara asked. "Was I a good sibling?"

I gave her a pat on the back. "There's no problem. You did the best you could."

We both climbed back into bed and fell asleep. In the morning, we went and bought some breakfast. We were ready to face Papyrus.


	15. Chapter 12: You're Blue Now!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Complete with bad flirting and weird skeletons.

### Chapter 12: You're Blue Now!

I got up late next morning, Chara already wide awake and brewing coffee while I was still dragging myself around for my morning routine.

“Oh, Frisk. You’re up.” she greeted. “Gaster left this for you. He says it’ll help against Papyrus.”

She handed me a bandana with abs drawn on it. I looked at it, then looked at Chara.

“How is this going to help?” I asked.

“If you look cute, cool, or intimidating enough, monsters won’t hit you as hard.” she answered.

Wordlessly I put the bandana on. I didn’t feel any different. We ate our breakfast and gave the innkeeper our key, who waved us out. Sans greeted us in the lobby.

“hey, kid. I hear you’re fighting my bro. you got a game plan?” he asked.

“Flirt with a skeleton,” I answered, then immediately realized how ridiculous that sounded.

Sans and Chara burst out laughing while I sat there, unamused. After a while, they stopped, Sans wiping a glowing blue tear away. “haven’t laughed like that in a while. yeah, sure kid. whatever works for you.” He winked, and he was gone, leaving me and Chara alone.

“Hey, you aren’t serious, right?” Chara asked.

“I’m dead on serious.” This caused Chara to chortle some more while I stared.

We kept walking past the city outskirts, where the wind kicked up and blinded my vision with snow, making Chara retreat into the necklace. Through the sudden snowstorm, I kept walking, until I found a skeletal figure in the storm. The figure noticed me, and spoke.

“Human…” Papyrus said. “Allow me to share some complex feelings. Such as the joy of finding another pasta lover. The admiration for another’s puzzle-solving skills. The desire for another cool, smart person think you are cool. These feelings...THE MUST BE WHAT YOU ARE FEELING RIGHT NOW!”

I felt none of that. If I had to be honest, I felt bits of annoyance, apprehension, and a sense that Papyrus was way too innocent for everything. Maybe even a twinge that he was a funny guy, with his outlandish gestures and over the top reactions. Or was I just trying to warm myself up to him…?

He couldn’t read my facial expression, mostly because he couldn’t see my face. “I can hardly imagine what it must be like to feel that way. After all, I am VERY great. I don’t ever wonder what having lots of friends is like. I pity you, lonely human. BUT WORRY NOT! YOU SHALL BE LONELY NO LONGER! I, the GREAT PAPYRUS…”

He paused. “No, wait. I can’t be your friend. You are a human! I MUST CAPUTRE YOU! THEN I CAN FULFILL MY LIFELONG DREAM!”

Chara warmed up my necklace, making it glow red as Papyrus magically cleared away a clearing in the snowstorm. As always, he was wearing the weird suit. I checked my bag. Two Nice Creams and three of those Popsicles that come in two per bag. It would do.

“PREPARE TO BE CAPTURED, HUMAN! NYEH HEH HEH!”

And the fight began. Papyrus threw some bones at me that I easily walked around, while I prepared my flirting. “Papyrus, do you want to...you know, go somewhere after this?” I cursed myself for being so terrible at flirting.

“Smooth,” Chara passed over me in my mind. In any case, it had the intended reaction against Papyrus.

“WHAT? FLIRTING?” Papyrus got a little bit flustered, before clearing his nonexistent throat and calming down. “Human, I am a skeleton with VERY HIGH standards!”

“I can make spaghetti,” I answered, silently dreading the worst.

“OH NO! YOU’RE MEETING ALL OF MY STANDAAAARRRDDSSSSS!” he shouted. “Does this mean I have to go on a date with you? L-let’s date later! After this!”

He threw more bones, this time a bit shakier. Chara simply floated me over them. “But I won’t fight!” I shouted down to Papyrus as I kept floating.

“So you won’t fight…” He pondered for a second. “Then, how about my fabled BLUE ATTACK?”

He conjured up hundreds of light blue bones, and aimed them all right at me. I stood still as they all passed through me, tingling with a strange coldness.

“Huh. So that’s your blue atta-” I was cut off as the glow from my necklace turned blue, and I was slammed onto the ground. Ow.

“Frisk! Are you alright?” Chara asked. “The defense magic suddenly failed. I’m trying to bring it back but I think I’m locked out of my controls!”

“I’m fine, Chara.” I got up, huffing in pain because I twisted my ankle as I fell, as Papyrus got in a sneaky attack with a snowball, nailing me in the head and nearly knocking me off my feet.

“You’re blue now, human. That’s my attack! NYEH HEH HEH!”

I wordlessly pulled out one of those popsicles and ate half of one. It tasted like blue raspberry. This battle just got interesting.

* * *

And interesting it was.

Papyrus began throwing tall bones at me as I ran, bones that hummed and shocked me with cold whenever I touched one. I screamed as he threw one right for my head, pitching it like a baseball, all the while Chara cursing about how she was locked out of the defense magic.

“This is nuts!” I shouted.

“Getting locked out of my own damn controls are nuts!” Chara retorted. We both agreed that this sucked as Papyrus began changing up his patterns to walls of bones that I had to leap over, gritting my teeth in pain as I grabbed onto the bones in order to hop over.

Papyrus, meanwhile, was having a blast the entire battle, shouting “NYEH HEH HEH!” repeatedly as I struggled to dodge his repeated attacks, all the while not being able to float around freely. He pulled out assorted bottles and vials of random things, proclaiming that he was “preparing for our date.”

He dabbed some semi-sane items behind his nonexistent ear, such as Bone Cologne, MTT-Brand Beauty Yogurt, Attraction Slime, and some weird substances such as Cute Juice, Anime Powder, Bishie Cream, and even a bottle of marinara sauce. He put a lull in his attacks for a second to ask me a question.

“Human! I present to you a most puzzling problem! Why are these not staying on? I need to prepare for our date!”

“Maybe because you don’t have ears,” I told Papyrus, as he turned the jar of Anime Powder around and read the instructions.

“Hmm…’unscrew cap and dab behind ears…’” He looked at the diagrams on the back, which I assumed had various diagrams of monster ears. “None of these diagrams look like skeleton ears...perhaps...I do not have ears! Never mind that then!”

He threw those into the river. “Now...where was I, human? Ah, yes! Trying to capture you!”

He prepared his next attack, two large skulls that looked like dragon skulls from some RPG game. I backed away slowly. “What are those?” I asked.

“This attack? Ah, it must be so intimidating that the human must be shrinking in fear of The Great Papyrus! Perhaps…” He realized it wasn’t a bone attack. “Hey, these aren’t bones! Go away! Shoo! You’re too powerful for this fight! I want to capture the human, not kill it!”

The dragon skulls dissipated as he put his feet shoulder width and prepared a bone attack this time. “Now, human, we resume our battle! And in a little while...I will use my SPECIAL ATTACK!”

He didn’t let down at all. If anything, the battle escalated even further. Bones flew left and right, flexibly twisting, like they were soft clay, me scraping my face more against the snow trying to do volleyball dives in order to dodge the bones rather than getting hit by the bones Papyrus was throwing. Maybe it was a nice contrast to the fight Toriel and I had. Maybe. Those thoughts quickly vanished as I barely slipped through a tiny gap between two bones. It was just about as difficult. Maybe just less depressing, but that was about it. In any case, I was not looking forward to his so-called “Special Attack.” Speaking of which…

“HERE IT COMES, HUMAN! MY SPECIAL ATTACK!”

I braced to dodge as he pulled a bone out of his suit and pulled his arm back. In that moment, the little white dog, the same one playing the drums, leapt into the air and began tugging on the bone.

“Hey! You stupid mutt! Stop nomming on that special attack!” Papyrus shouted, as the dog kept tugging. It was a strong dog. It was a good dog, as well. I did not want to face that special attack.

I took this time to eat the other half of the popsicle, but, when I patted on my bag, I realized that I had reflexively eaten all three of them when I got too injured. I instead grabbed a smashed-up Nice Cream and ate that while the dog ran off with Papyrus’ special attack.

“Hey! Get back here with my special attack!” He gave chase for a small distance, then sighed. “Oh well. Guess I’ll just use a really cool regular attack. Prepare yourself, human.”

He sounded a bit disinterested now. But my guard didn’t drop, which was a good decision.

It was not a “regular attack.” It had the full package in it, with horizontal bones, vertical bones, growing and shrinking bones, bones with impossible small gaps in between, biology-defying bones, physics defying bones, bone definition defying bones, bones on bone skateboards, bones spelling the words, “COOL DUDE,” and for a final nail in the coffin of absolute ridiculousness, a crowd of small bones.

“How am I supposed to dodge that?” I asked Chara.

“Just jump and hope for the best!” Chara shouted, as I braced down as well as I could, and jumped, and went up into the air.

And up.

And up.

And up.

And sailing all the way over the crowd of bones, past a ridiculously huge bone, and right in front of a Papyrus, his jaw actually on the floor. An incredibly small bone fell out of his hand and slowly scooted towards me, which I walked around. All three of us stood in shock for a while.

I was the first to recover. “What happened?” I asked. I had the impression Chara shrugged.

After about ten minutes of Papyrus still standing there, jaw on the ground, he snapped out of his stupor as he picked his jawbone back up and reattached it with a very non-bonelike  _ click,  _ gathering himself and standing back up straight.

“Well...it’s very clear you cannot defeat me! So, I, The Great Papyrus, shall elect to grant you mercy!” He offered out his hand. I walked up to him and shook it. “I couldn’t capture a human…” he whispered.

“I’ll be your friend,” I offered.

He brightened up again. “Really? Then I, The Great Papyrus, shall grant you this honor! Ah, and I cannot forget about that date I promised! If you wish to do that ‘date,’ meet me in the front of my house! But...before I go.”

Papyrus’ face dropped. “To exit the underground, you must first pass through the waterfall. Then, you must go through Hotlands, then the Core. After that, you must face King Asgore, who is…” He was silent for a while before brightening right back up. “A big fuzzy pushover! Well, toodles!”

And then he leap-frogged over me, planting my face back into the snow. Ouch.

“Well, you asked for this.” Chara said, and appeared beside me after Papyrus walked off. “You better go to the date, or you’re gonna let your new boyfriend down.” She snickered.

“Shut up!” I shouted at her, my face slightly reddening.

“Frisk’s got a boy-friend, Frisk’s got a boy-”

“Shut up already!” I growled, giving Chara a small shove, the kind she as my brother gave me. It didn’t wipe that idiotic grin off of her face. I sighed and went towards Papyrus’ house, where she hid behind the house while I talked to Papyrus.

* * *

“Ah, human! I see, you are here for the date!” Papyrus greeted, Sans next to Chara, watching. Was that a phone I saw in Sans’ hand, recording? It didn’t matter, as Papyrus dragged me off. “Come! We will go to a place where I spend lots of time!” He ran towards the center of town, spun three times around the Christmas tree, and ran back towards the house.

“My house!” he proudly exclaimed. “Please, come in.”

He unlocked the door for me. Inside was a house arranged a bit like Grandma’s, just half the size and no basement. “Make yourself at home, human.”

The house was furnished nicely, although there were a few bits here and there that stuck out, like a sock with about a foot of sticky notes stuck on it, which Papyrus sighed and explained that Sans never picked up his sock. There was also a pet rock, a jingly couch where I found some currency, and a joke book. I opened it.

Inside was a quantum physics book.

Inside of that was another joke book.

Inside of that was another quantum physics book.

Inside of that was another joke book.

Inside of that was another quantum physics book.

Inside of that was another joke book.

Inside of that was another quantum physics book.

Inside of that was another joke book.

Inside of that was another quantum phy-

“Is this just an infinite loop of joke books and physics books?” I asked, as I held the book up by its cover. Assorted joke books and physics books came pouring out, covering my feet, as they all got smaller and smaller, until the last one, half the size of a checkbook and barely readable, plopped on the pile. I sighed and picked up the books, as Papyrus shouted, “SAAAAAAAAAAANS!”

After we cleaned up, we headed to Papyrus’ room for the date. In the corner of my eye, I saw Sans and Chara sitting on the couch. Both of them gave me a little wink.

* * *

“so, how was the date?” Sans asked as I walked out of Papyrus’ room.

“That is probably the weirdest date I will ever go on,” I answered to him. He chuckled as Chara had a massive grin on her face.

“aw, kid. don’t be so hard on my bro. cmon, let’s go to grillby’s. mebbe we can get some fries.”


	16. Chapter 13: Fish and Grill

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just when I thought everything would be fine, things get creepy again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting closer to the end. Keep going.

### Chapter 13: Fish and Grill

"so, how was the date?" Sans asked, as Chara and I munched on a large basket of fries, about as big as four palms placed side by side. Sans occasionally reached into the basket and grabbed himself a few. The fries were warm and crunchy on the outside, but the interiors almost melted in my mouth. I took a little break in pigging out on fries to talk.

"Well, he put on his cool outfit." I started.

"wow, you got my bro to put that on. guess he got pretty serious about it." Sans chuckled, but waved me to continue.

"After that, he had some pasta hidden in his hat. I have no idea how he managed to hide an entire box of cooked pasta, complete with plate and utensils under his hat." I took a pause to nab a fry while Chara had a handful of fries, and was quickly working her way through them. "In any case, I tried some of his pasta."

"how was it?"

"It was…" I took a pause to try and put the taste, the strange texture into words. "Weird. He had about twenty different kinds of noodles and spaghettis mixed together. And the sauce didn't have just tomato and basil in it. It had other weird tastes, like a little bit of carrot, maybe? And apple? And after that, without trying, I managed to escalate the 'date' as far as Papyrus would take it."

"what happened after that?"

"I got friendzoned. By a skeleton." I tried my hardest not to laugh, but failed miserably. In a few seconds, I had my face down on the table, shoulders shaking in laughter. A bird lady looked over at me to see if I was alright. Sans gave her a wink, and she resumed her own business.

"Great job," Chara commented in between fries. I gave her a little shove and she pretended to almost fall off the chair. Sans just did a little chuckle.

"anyways, kid. good first date or not, do you think pap's pretty cool?"

"Huh?" I turned around, after struggling with Chara for a bit. "Oh, uh...if I have to be honest, he's got quite a personality. If I have to call him 'cool,' I wouldn't go that far, though."

"heh. thought you'd say something like that. anyways, cool or not, he tries pretty hard."

"Yeah, I know." I thought back to our fight, how he put all of his 'backbone' into it. I cringed internally at me accidentally slipping out a skeleton pun and quietly muttered a few curses in French, a language my whole family spoke fluently, along with English.

"hmm? eh, i won't mind that." Sans spoke. "but anyways, he tries pretty hard. heck, to try and get into the royal guard, he once went to the undyne's house, and knocked on the door. undyne popped open the door, saw him, and slammed the door in his face. literally. she knocked his head off. grillbs, another fries for the two girls."

The basket of fries was completely empty, mostly consumed by Chara and I, salt all over our fingers. Grillby picked up the empty tray and proceeded to walk to the back, to refill the tray. When he left, Sans started speaking again.

"anyways, pap didn't give up there. he stayed out in front of undyne's house for the entire night. when undyne woke up the next morning for her training, she found papyrus, curled up and sleeping on her doorstep. so she started giving him training."

"Dang." I turned back to the fries that Grillby just put in front of us and kept eating.

"hey, kid. just one more question." Sans' tone of voice dropped a couple of octaves. When I looked at him, his eye sockets were pitch black. I paused in eating, while he continued.

"normally, i'd ask you about a talking flower. but," he pulled out a notebook and a silver pocketwatch, "there's something a little more pressing."

He flipped open the notebook. "our reports show a massive anomaly in the space time continuum. timelines jumping left and right, starting and stopping…"

He flipped the notebook around and showed me. Lines making improbable loops, almost like a graph but at the same time like a tangled mess of yarn, some sort of chaotic order. "until suddenly," he flipped through the pages, where all the lines reached a single point, and cut off. "everything ends."

"Where are you going with this, Sans?" I asked, nervously. He just chuckled.

"i dunno how much you know about everything. heck, for all i care, you know nothing at all. kid, all i gotta be frank with you. gaster's tellin' me to trust you and all, but from what i know, i'm not too sure about all that. kid...just know that apparently you're our best hope."

He got up from his chair and left, the people in the bar waving him goodbye, as if they had no clue what he just said. I turned around and saw Chara staring right where Sans once was, before she unfroze, covered in a cold sweat.

"Frisk…" she whispered. "Let's go." I didn't have an appetite for any more fries, so Grillby put the fries in a takeaway box. We put our cloaks back on and walked out of the bar, towards the end of the cavern.

* * *

The sound of rushing water could be heard as we entered the place Papyrus called "Waterfall." Large ice cubes floated down the river. It was pretty easy to see why it was called "Waterfall," namely because of all the waterfalls around. Glowing rocks were speckled throughout the walls, the ceilings, the floors, creating a beautiful, fantasy-esque sight, something that would come from one of the MMOs that Jeff-no, Chara and I were so fond of, like an-

"Elvish cavern or something. Maybe even gnomish." Chara piqued. "It's a nice sight, isn't it?"

"It is." I almost forgot how much of a geek-how would I describe Chara's relationship with me, now?-Chara was, when she was my brother, how he/she-they?- would be easily distracted by the next game coming out, the newest anime, the whatever it was. I remembered Chara-Jeffery?-freaking out about XCOM when it was about to be released, even though it was more my type of game rather than-forget the designations.

I had to admit, however, that nothing beat how calming the rushing water was, combined with the almost surrealism the rocks created. It really did feel like another world, complete with glowing blue cave-flowers and whatnot. I half expected to find floor ice cream and well-seasoned wall chicken to recover some sort of health bar. I subconsciously used SAVE, maybe because it just felt right.

Ahead was Sans, sitting in a sentry station, acting like nothing ever happened. We decided to give him a glare, and he shrugged as we dropped the takeaway in front of him. A helpful monster decided to point out what the blue flowers were, which were something called Echo Flowers. While we were asking that, a monster kid, with no arms, looking kind of like a T. Rex, except much shorter, ran up to us.

"Yo! You going to go see Undyne, too? Awesome!" Chara feigned ignorance while I looked at him. "Hey! Wait up!" he shouted after us.

The cavern lighting suddenly cut out, only lit up behind us. I glanced over at Chara, who was suddenly on edge as we walked into a patch of tall grass.

"Why did the lights cut-" I tried to ask, but Chara covered my mouth as she gestured to keep quiet. I soon realized why as the clacking of shaking bones filled the cavern. Peering through the tall grass, across the water where the waterfalls poured into, was Papyrus and someone in a huge suit of armor.

"H-hi, Undyne! I'm here for my daily report!" Papyrus' voice squeaked.

The suit of armor clanked and creaked, making all three of us cringe. It boomed, "Is that so. Tell me, what did you find?"

Papyrus got paler than the color of his bones. "T-the human…"

"Don't say anything else. You were defeated by the human."

He looked a little bit downcast. "Sorry, Undyne."

The suit of armor, known as Undyne, moved with lightning speed as it stood, far over Papyrus, him letting out a little squeak. "SORRY? Sorry doesn't get you into the royal guard, Papyrus. 'Sorry' doesn't get human souls to Asgore. 'Sorry' doesn't contribute to the freedom of monsterkind! Now go."

Undyne turned away to the water as Papyrus slinked away, sweating. It took off its helmet, revealing...a scaly head with an eyepatch and mismatched teeth, but undeniably female. Undyne sighed, conjured up a spear, and stirred the water quietly. Chara tugged on my sleeve. "Alright, now we move."

The moment we moved, Undyne took notice with those fin-like ears, which were probably pretty good for hearing. Quick as a fish in the water, she popped up, spear poised like a javelin. Her one good eye scanned the brush with all the feel of a shark hunting for fish. She looked right at us, her gaze settling right on the patch of grass we were hiding behind.

Then, as quickly as she was about to kill us, she stood back up straight, her spear dissipating. She sighed, and walked off, her suit clanking. I breathed a sigh of relief alongside Chara. Too close.

We walked out of the brush, the same monster kid from before following us, squealing his head off about how he just saw Undyne look at the three of us. He was okay, I guess.

"Right, guys! Catch you all later!" the monster kid shouted, as he sprinted off. Chara took a sigh.

"I hate little kids," Chara muttered. She helped me solve the puzzle about bridge seeds, and we walked on, finding a strange, abandoned quiche under a weirdly placed bench. We walked, on through the rushing water, until we reached a room.

"The wishing room," Chara translated from the sign, written in ancient monster languages. Echo flowers were strewn all over the place. An aura of reverence, of respect, almost like a cathedral's feeling, emanated from the entire place. The ceiling glittered with hundreds and thousands of rocks, glowing like stars. The back cave wall was open with a doorway. Echo flowers shouted out. "Let's go! Thousands of monsters wishing together can't be wrong!"

We stepped through the doorway. Breathe in, breathe out. I was filled with reverence.


	17. Chapter 14: Following Falls and Falls of Rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I wonder what that was all about. Chara's past? I don't know. It's too rude to ask her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lament. Sorrow. Regret. Familiar emotions.
> 
> Song for this chapter: Chara's Guilt (Track 03)

### Chapter 14: Following Falls and Falls of Rain

The moment we entered, it felt like holy ground, consecrated by thousands, if not tens of thousands of monsters trampling through this area. The serene water glowed a quiet, cobalt blue, illuminating our faces. The sounds of the waterfall suddenly stopped, leaving only the deafening silence. The ceiling glowed with the refractive rocks, like millions of stars, trapped beneath miles of earth, still twinkling even though they’d never see the night sky. Monsters walked, though none seemed too keen on attacking us. They all stood, and walked, quietly, in reverence. Slates on the wall, written in ancient monster writings, recorded their history, detailing the war.

And then there were the echo flowers.

They quietly muttered, like souls waiting in the fields of Asphodel for their new life. They muttered amongst themselves, turning in a nonexistent breeze. When a flower grew too old, it drooped, withered, and deposited its seeds into the water in a matter of minutes, passing on its voice to new generations. Its lifeless husk would crumble and collapse into the water, sending its life’s ripples across the water, creating waves that would eventually flatten and fade away, back into the solemn, flat surface the water once was. The new seeds would drift and reach the shoreline, where either a monster would pick the seed up and plant it, or the seed would embed itself in the shoreline. Instantly, it would take root, and like a timelapse, grow into a young echo flower, already muttering in the voice of its parent. The pollen of the matured flowers, but not yet bearing seeds, drifted through the air and caught the light. Occasionally, a small cluster of echo flowers would sprout together, and like philosophers engaged in a discussion, would mutter amongst themselves, creating very interesting splices between words and phrases, before dying off and spreading themselves on.

Chara read the slates to me. “Why did the humans attack? Indeed, it seemed they had nothing to fear. Humans are unbelievably strong. It would take the soul of nearly every monster, just to equal the power of a single human soul. But humans have one weakness. Ironically, it is the strength of their soul. Its power allows it to persist outside the human body, even after death.” I remembered reading something about how human bodies were stronger than monster bodies because humans had more matter in them.

“If a monster can defeat a human...A monster with a human soul...a horrible beast with unfathomable power…” Chara trailed off, as we approached an engraving of an impressive-looking monster, hands bursting with power. Chara immediately turned away from the drawing.

We bought some Nice Cream from the blue bunny-man (I noted the pun) and he gave us a punch card. Sans was standing nearby, who waved and said, “hey, kid. i got this premium telescope set up here. wanna take a look through it?”

I wiped the eyepiece of the telescope with my punch card. It came off with a smear of ink, and I gave him a look that said “You’re kidding, right?”

He only shrugged and muttered “killjoy,” in his laid back voice that I have yet to discover how he makes. He packed his telescope up, his prank foiled. I high-fived Chara. After all, she taught me pretty much every trick in the book back when we were siblings. Are we still siblings?

“Hi…” A quiet voice behind both Chara and I spoke. “Excuse me.”

We turned around. It was a tan tear-drop shaped monster. “People keep talking about the stars. The echo flowers, especially the old ones. But what’s a star?”

I looked at Chara. She looked back, both of us more in surprise than in lack of answer. I opened my mouth to speak, but the monster bombarded us with questions quicker than I could answer them.

“Can you eat a star?”

“Can you touch a star?”

“Can you see a star?”

“Can you kill a star?”

“What’s a star made out of?”

“Why are they so important again?”

The monster quieted down for a second, giving time to get my bearings again. Then, he asked, “Are you a star?”

Chara paused and paled. The monster took this as an “I don’t know” and kept walking, towards Snowdin. She held her hand over her forehead for a second and dragged me on, through the field of echo flowers, grimacing. A bad memory? It was the best guess I had.

She dragged me, slowly at first. Echo flowers spoke out, in particular a few, mostly passing conversations. Small details I sat down and listened to.

The echo flower’s drooping head, just before it died, lifted itself back up one last time to croak out its voice again. It recorded a passing conversation, which I sat and listened to.

The rustling sound of the Waterfall region’s grass was audible. Two children, laughing, ran down something that sounded like wood, probably a bridge. They stopped to take a breath. After a while, one of them said to the other, “So? Don’t you have any wishes to make?”

Chara tugged on my arm, motioning for us to go. Her normally reddish cheeks, a permanent pale blush, were pale. Her eyes were full of...fear? Something that I never thought I’d see in her. But I walked, and other flowers talked.

“Hm...only one, but…it’s kind of stupid.” The same two children. Unlike the last one, distinctly feminine, this one sounded more masculine. Chara squeezed my hand. Papyrus rang on the phone, but I quickly pushed the “call reject” button. I’ll call him back later.

“Don’t say that!” another echo flower shouted. Another one in the chain of conversations, this one the girl’s voice. “Come on, I promise I won’t laugh.” Chara squeezed my hand harder, until I squeaked in pain. Her grip was incredibly strong, compared to how small her hand was. She looked at me, with...tears in her eyes? 

In any case, her grip loosened. She hid her face again, reading another stone slab in a whisper. “The power to take their souls. This is the power that humans feared.” We walked on, but then we ran into a patch of echo flowers.

“No,” Chara whispered. But the flowers didn’t care.

“...hmm...if  I say my wish, you promise not to laugh at me?” The boy again.

“Of course I won’t laugh!” said the girl. The boy sighed.

“Alright. I’ll share it...some day, I’d like to climb this mountain we’re all buried under...”

And in that instant, echo flowers sprouted and went wild. A cacophany of wishes, hopes, dreams, memories, all flooding us at once.

“I’m gonna run around in a huge field of flowers.” Sounded like a Whimsum, a moth-like creature that lived in the ruins.

“Maybe I could jump without hitting my head!” It sounded like a warrior of sorts.

“I wanna...I wanna…” It barely came out as a whisper in the end, so small, it was near inaudible.

“You wanna ride a train, right, honey?” A motherly voice spoke. A small child’s “Mhm!” came afterwards. Then a shared family laugh? My best guess. I wasn’t too sure. Dad was always too busy for us to have a shared family laugh. Jeff-Chara? I don’t know. He always blamed dad’s death on how busy he always was, running around town, coffee in one hand and doughnut in the other, always trying to go to some meeting or attend some conference.

“No. No, no, no, no, nonononono!” Chara screamed. She covered her ears. She collapsed on the ground, sobbing. But nobody came. The echo flowers were too indifferent to care. And I didn’t know how to help.

“I’ll climb this mountain, and I’ll-” That voice cut off into a mixture of spliced voices, too jumbled to separate.

“I want to drive a hot car down a long stretch of highway!” a particularly enthusiastic one shouted.

“I want to see the stars! Ooh, maybe I can figure out what all those human astronomy books meant!” That one rambled on for a long time.

“I want to prove that it’s raining somewhere else.” An odd one.

“I want to see clouds, and  feel the wind, and climb a tree, a real tree…”

Then, almost in reverence, all of the echo flowers quieted down, all except for that boy in the very beginning.

“Standing under the sky, looking at the world all around. That’s my wish.” the boy quietly confessed.

The girl started laughing. Embarrassed, the boy shouted, “Hey! You promised you wouldn’t laugh!”

After a good long laugh, the girl took a deep breath. “Sorry,” she wheezed. “That’s my wish, too.”

The echo flowers wilted and died, spreading their seeds on. A single seed fell in front of Chara, already beginning to grow, Chara’s tears providing water for it. Her face was wet.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I just wanted everyone to be happy...was that too much to ask?” she whispered. We stayed there for maybe five, ten, I could even daresay thirty minutes, before Chara stopped crying, all the while me trying to comfort her, but Chara batted my arms away every time, never looking angry.

At long last, she stood up and washed her face in the glowing water. She didn’t bother looking at me, just taking my wrist, and walking onwards.

I wonder what that was all about. Though, I was too afraid to ask.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have compiled a soundtrack for this. PLEASE do not spoil yourself in the soundtrack. That means, do NOT listen to Chara's Story and The True Angel. (or don't listen to me, it's a free internet.)  
> Soundtrack link: https://soundcloud.com/meta_mahn/sets/undertale-a-story-of-me-frisk  
> Will also post on Prologue in the notes.


	18. Chapter 15: Monsters are Weird

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I could never understand Temmies, either.

### Chapter 15: Monsters are Weird

We walked a bit further, Chara finally accepting my support. Her sobs turned to heavy breathing, gradually getting lighter. An octopus-like monster rose out of the water to greet us, but saw Chara and decided to slink away, not bothering. Quite a respectful monster. Speaking of respectfulness, most monsters were incredibly respectful. Except for a few that wanted to kill me. But those were few and far in between, and after we got the "trying to kill me" business over with, they were quite pleasant. Some of them gave me free food, others gave me a little bit of money to say sorry, and one even gave me a free shower, complete with the magical equivalent of an industrial blow-dryer because I didn't want to strip down.

The caverns turned darker, and darker, until my necklace was the only thing illuminating the area in a blood-red glow. We didn't talk much. We didn't know what we were doing. We just walked. And hit a dead end with an echo flower.

"Behind you." It whispered. We spun around and found ourselves at spearpoint, me as the target.

"H-hey, can't we talk this out?" I scooted backwards. The darkness lifted, revealing Undyne. I silently cursed and wished I had magic, because that was probably what it was.

Undyne didn't care. She just advanced forwards. "So, two of you, huh? Doesn't match the reports. Doesn't matter. I will collect the souls. Then, we can be free."

I backed up a little bit, shifting my foot backwards. "Chara," I whispered. "The moment she almost runs us down, I need you to throw me over her with whatever power that is. Then teleport over to me."

Undyne kept walking forwards. Her walk turned into a jog. Her jog turned into a sprint. I tightened my legs, my necklace flaring red. I was ready to jump in three, two, one…

"Undyne! I'll help you fight!"

Undyne stopped in her tracks. The glow from my necklace receded quickly. Standing right in front of Undyne's spear was that monster kid, absolutely clueless.

He looked at me. "Yo! You got front-row seats to this fight! Wait...who's she fighting?" He asked.

If I could see Undyne's face right now, her face would probably be as unamused as she could possibly make it. She grabbed the kid by the face and dragged him off.

"Hey! You aren't gonna tell my parents, are you?" He shouted. His shouting got quieter as they rounded around the corner and walked away.

"Well, that was close." Chara remarked. The echo flower continuously looped "that was close" from then on. We decided to move before Undyne came back. After the darkness was cleared, a new path was revealed that I swore was not there before. We didn't question it. Only the splashing sounds of water echoing off the caverns was what we heard for a long while. And our muddy footsteps. And-

"Whozzat! Ye coming to steal my junk?"

A cane, with a sharpened point, was pointed at my throat. Or rather, Chara's throat. Today was not a good day. Two pointy sticks pointed at us. Behind it was an elderly turtle monster, wearing a safari hat and some glasses. He was even shorter than I was.

"Uh-" I barely started my sentence before the old monster kept shouting orders.

"Hands where I can see 'em, girls!"

"Hold on," Chara remarked. "I know you. Gerson?"

"How do you know me? I know both of ye are humans."

"Gerson, don't you remember me? It's me, Chara." Chara answered. "I used to visit you all the time!" She didn't even hold her hands up.

"Chara?" He adjusted his glasses. "By the souls and prophecies, it really is you! That brown hair, that immutable fashion sense…"

He lowered his cane. "We can't talk like this. Girly, you've got so much to explain. And bring yer…" He tilted his head at me.

"Sister," I answered. I guess I was Chara's sibling now. Even though we shared no genetics.

"Well, we can't have the Dreemurr princess and her sister standing out in the water, can we? This is hardly the place to talk!" Gerson dragged us off to his little junk shop, which was just around the corner.

* * *

"Okay, let's see...where do I start?" Chara asked. Gerson handed us both some iced tea he made and bottled himself from the swamp water. It was pretty refreshing, and after we loaded up the bag with it, at Gerson's insistence (Take it! It's got good magic! Might save yer life! Ehehehe) we cracked open two more to drink on the spot.

"Start at the bit where you and your brother fulfilled that weird suicide pact of yers." He answered. Chara winced, which Gerson took notice. "Sensitive topic? Can't blame ye for that."

"No, no. It's fine. Just…a lot of memories recently. Echo flowers." Chara sighed and took a swig of her tea. "Well, after that, I died, but a little bit of me got stuck in that locket he gave me. A majority of me went to the void, though."  
"Void?" Gerson asked.

"The medium between this world and what people could probably call the afterlife, I guess. In any case, I spent a good bit of time there, doing dead person things. Like sleep. Then a lot of convoluted things happened."

She described how she became my brother, but left out the bits about Gaster. Then she described how I fell down.

"After that, I managed to hitch a small piece of myself onto Frisk. Then I managed to do some spooky things and make myself a body."

Gerson leaned back, sighed, lit a pipe, and puffed a bit of smoke. "Well, Chara, I think this entire story is full of shit. This all makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, hehe."

"I can't blame you," Chara replied, leaning forward like an old drinking buddy. "If I was normal I would probably say the same things. I mean, I did die and now I'm here. Of course, magic is real and so are monsters, so I guess anything could fly."

"Anyways, lie or not," Gerson got up, "I have something of yours." He reached under the table and pulled out a crinkled red notebook. "Kept it in the best condition I could. Fluffybuns would have probably just shelved it and never read it. I read it a few times. Learned my French from it. Interesting read, all that stuff you did. Also, I thought I once saw the queen carrying your body. That was a long time ago, though."

Chara in the blink of an eye nabbed it from Gerson's hands. She flipped through it, almost in a fervor. Finally, when she reached the end, she sighed. "Well, at least everything's still there."  
We thanked Gerson for the teas and went on our way. I dared myself to ask Chara what was in that notebook of hers.

"Ah...notebook? It's just things from my previous life. Don't worry about it!" Chara answered. Welp. There's some more questions.

* * *

Waterfall was actually a pretty nice region once you got used to the moisture. The air felt clean and fresh, the landscape was very pretty, and the monsters were quite nice. Of course, every region had nice monsters. That seemed to be a constant of the Underground. Well, give or take a few certain monsters. Some of them were just weird. Like a purple fish that asked us to stand on his face for three gold. With our overabundance of items and lack of money, we declined.

"hOI!"

Speaking of weird.

"yAyA! weIrd!" Some weird cat-dog monster was standing in front of us, vibrating slowly. Hold on, what?

Chara had the most impressive "unamused" face on. "Temmies," she muttered, "why did it have to be Temmies?"

"Chara," I poked. "I think that monster just read my thoughts." The Temmie innocently cocked its head sideways.

"tem read TEXT! us full ability! wOA! so many other readers! hO!, readers!" What even was the "text?" Who were these "readers?" Chara, meanwhile, dealt with the Temmie, by whispering things I couldn't hear. After a while, the Temmie seemed to have settled down a little.

"hm...text say hoomans need muns...dats ok! tem need muns not long ago! Im Temmie!" the Temmie said. "tem need muns to go to cool leg...but nice man give tem muns! man was Gaster!"

Temmie seemed to be onto much more than I thought. "Did he say anything?" I asked.

"yA! Gaster told tem to bring u two to tem VILLAGE!" And then Temmie bounded off, leaving us to chase a line of paw prints in the soil, crashing into a fish monster who was trying to sing along to an old Elvis Presley CD.

I followed Temmie, but took a little bit of time to help out the fish monster. Temmie could wait. And judging by the terrible handwriting in the dirt that said, "tem will w8," Temmie was fine with it too.

* * *

Her name was Shyren. She was incredibly soft-spoken and shy. She aspired to be a singer. Her agent said, however, that she was so passionate at singing that she would end up casting a spell and throwing magical bullets. He asked if we could help.

We started off with us humming. She threw off a few magical sparks that I dodged quite easily. We continued on, moving onto some of the human songs she gathered, all of which she passed with surprising ease. She shot a few magical sparks but I told her to keep at it, telling her to control her magic into shapes. I had no idea what I was saying, but it created some cool magical images.

By this time, monsters gathered in the cavern to watch. When she finished all of her gathered songs, the monsters applauded her performance. Sans was hastily making toilet paper tickets to sell, and posters were already created for Shyren. We left, as Shyren decided to sing something older, a ballad written by monsters about old human and monster heroes. I took a glance over my shoulder, and saw Shyren synthesizing her own instruments and started projecting images onto the wall, shaped like a human hero dueling with a monster hero, sword against magic. At the end, the human won with his superior soul, but helped the monster back up. The audience screamed in joy. A job well done.

* * *

We walked down the hallway, past a piano which supposedly contained a great treasure. Chara stopped at this.

"Hey, it's treasure. Too bad we don't have a key." She remarked.

"What do you think the key is?" I asked.

"Hold on, there's a note here." Chara sat herself down at the piano and opened it. "Memories echo down the cavern...why don't you play along?"

Nothing here could help us figure out what this riddle meant. But farther down, a statue was being rained on by the waterfall's splash. A bit further there was a bucket with a bunch of umbrellas. We took a red umbrella, Chara's choice, and covered the statue with it.

From the base of the statue, a melody played. Chara knelt down and touched a figure on the statue, almost worn smooth, and said almost a prayer. But I could tell what it was. It was a monster laying a human down to rest. The song was none other than "Memory," as Chara told.

"Hang on," I remarked. "What if this is the key to the puzzle?"

Chara stood up, with an entranced air of wistfulness. Suddenly, she snapped out of it. "Huh? What? Oh, uh...yeah, probably. I think there's a version that's a little more instrumentated."

We walked back to the puzzle, where Chara cracked her knuckles and began playing the piano. A few simple notes, the same as Memory. Then the song got more complex, chords and harmonies twisting all over the place. "His Theme," Chara whispered in the middle, and weakly smiled.

The song took a good three minutes. Finally, when it was over, Chara looked up. There was cracks in the wall in front of the piano. The cracks got larger and larger, until the wall fell and there was a perfect doorway shape. In the doorway was a legendary artifact, as the plaque said behind it. Our bag was too full for it, so I decided to store our tea in the box in front of Gerson's store in order to free up some room. Well, until I looked in my bag and saw a little white dog in it after I put the tea up and returned. It looked at me with big brown eyes and barked.

"Hey!" I exclaimed. "What's this dog doing in our bag? I swear Papyrus locked him in a cage."

"No idea." Chara answered. "Maybe he's _Hound_ ini."

I glared at Chara as I took the dog out of my bag. It slipped out of my hands and bounded for the artifact, jumping on top of it.

The dog absorbed the artifact.

"Hey! You dumb dog! Give that back!" I shouted as the dog phased through the walls and made his escape, leaving a tuft of fur.

"Looks like that _dog_ gone dog's gone," Chara remarked, laughing at my annoyance, making more terrible puns. "You know, maybe I should throw you a _bone_."

"Yeah, you should." I said, as I picked up the tuft of fur. The fur instantly filled up my entire bag with a dog-shape of fur. Doing a little experimentation, I dumped the new fur out and put some fur in my bag. It filled up my bag with another dog fur sculpture of a dog.

Chara was still laughing at the reaction I had when the dog absorbed the artifact. I had a nasty plot. I picked up the fur.

"Haha, you should have seen your face! Priceless, Frisk! Hey, what are you doing with all of that fur?"

I grabbed her sweatshirt collar and shoved a whole dog of fur down her shirt. It got a little crushed and caught on the way down, so it instantly poofed her sweatshirt out with multiple dog shapes of fur.

It all went downhill from there as Chara started chasing me around with dog fur. Finally, we settled down as our shirts were stuffed full of fur and called a truce. Temmie might be getting bored by now.

* * *

"hOI! welcom to...tem village!" Temmie led us through a thicket of glowing mushrooms, to the other side where many other Temmies were idly chatting. "you has dog residues? hihg demand 4 dog residues!"

Apparently this "fur" was quite valuable to Temmies. I wrapped a little bit in a rubber band and kept it in the bag.

"tem shop this way!" Temmie guided, as she pointed at a sign that said, "TEM SHOP. ITEMS 4 MUNS. TEM GRADUATE FROM COOL LEG, HAS MUNS"

The Temmie who guided us hopped into the booth. "wat u sel? woA! u has...so many items! tem can buy items! tem wants items!"

* * *

We walked out of the store, approximately a couple thousand gold richer. I kept the stick in case we met more dogs. Chara washed her hands of remaining dog fur after she kept dropping a little bit of fur into the bag, then pulling it all out to sell.

Monsters are weird. But they're helpful as well.


	19. Chapter 16: Shark in the Water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I've had better days, I guess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More memories.

### Chapter 16: Shark in the Water

"It's really dark."

We were in another dark patch of the Waterfall. Seeing as how last time the darkness was magical, I was pretty skeptical about turning on any lights. Chara had the same idea as well. She didn't turn my light on.

So we walked in the darkness.

Thump, thump, went the sound of boardwalk. The footsteps echoed off the caver- wait...it was a bit too heavy to be mine. And a metallic grating noise, as well...

I barely managed to leap aside as a spear stabbed through the boardwalk. Through the cracks, our mysterious stalker gleamed as the darkness dispersed.

"Not bad!" Undyne shouted. "But let's see if you can dodge this!"

She threw a flurry of spears at the boardwalk, splintering the wood behind me into pieces. Thankfully, with enough monsters trying to kill me, I was getting better at dodging by myself. The spears sailed past me, clipping off a few strands of my hair. Not like it mattered, I usually just hacked it off with a knife or scissors. I started running, avoiding the deadly blue glow of the spears.

Thump, thump went the sound of Undyne's steel boots against the second layer of boardwalk. I tried to muffle my footsteps as well as I could, but Undyne's hearing was better than my sneaking skills. At least she couldn't lead her shots well-

Chara barely managed to throw me out of the way as a flurry of spears erupted underneath my feet. A few of them clipped the side of my face. I held my hand to where the spear touched me. No blood. Magic.

"I CAN SENSE YOU, YOU KNOW!"

Right. She could sense electricity in the damp air. Just like a shark. That was fair. I silently cursed myself for not remembering my marine biology. Her vision was not based on movement.

Left, right, left, stop. Spears flew. Wood splintered. Keep running, don't look back, don't stop.

Chara frantically pointed towards a path on the boardwalk. Follow Chara's pointing. Trust that she's leading you out. It's obvious Chara has been here before. Go, go, go. No time to stop and refuel. Stay determined. Chara was frantically flipping through her notebook, gesturing towards-there! I ran for the exit of the boardwalk. Whew. I could take a break to catch my breath-

There was no exit on the boardwalk. The wood was splintered and broken. It was a trap.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Undyne was coming. I was cornered.

"Frisk, what do we do? You're the quicker one on your feet." Chara asked.

"I...don't know." I replied.

Undyne came closer, yet closer. "Two humans, hm? It does not matter. Come peacefully and it will be very easily be over. Your deaths will be painless."

Screw that.

"If you don't come, well...you will not have a pleasant experience."

Screw that as well.

"Frisk. Jump. Trust me!" Chara grabbed me by the neck, and before I could complain, she threw me into the dark void. Oh god, déjà vu. My necklace glowed as Chara desperately tried to slow our velocity. And like the first fall, I passed out.

* * *

 

"Oh, you've fallen down, haven't you?"

I got up. Everything was white. The voice that just talked was a young boy'sz

"Uh...I guess." I said. "Am I dead?"

He laughed. "No, you're alive. Just like me! Here, get up."

I got up, but for some reason I couldn't. "I...can't." I answered.

"Oh, hold on, then. I'll get something, don't worry! By the way, what's your name?"

"My name?" I asked. I tried to say "Frisk." But my body said "Chara."

I looked down as he talked. I was wearing some strange clothes, like a medieval church girl's travel clothes. I wasn't Frisk. My skin was too pale to be me. Scars dotted my arms and hands, some quite fresh, some fading. I recognized them, though. I was Chara.

"Chara, huh?" The boy asked. The light was fading, gathering on him. I was lying down in the cavern I fell into. I was lying on a patch of grass, without any golden flowers. "That's a nice name. My name is…"

The dream shifted as a jolt of electricity crackled through my dream.

* * *

I landed very abruptly, looking directly at myself, who was staring right at me, face very uncomfortably close. Myself tapped my vision a few times.

"Alright. Testing. The webcam looks like it works. Sans? You're doing this one?"

Behind myself, a shuffling sound of an office chair. A muffled "yeah."

"Okay." Myself backed away from the camera. Again, the laboratory. Sans was actively staring at the camera this time.

"loop...77? 78? whatever it is, we won't have to go back to it again." Sans said into the mic.

"77. Amanda Loop." Myself corrected.

"whatever." We chuckled. "anyways, we've got our 'rogue soul' nailed down. apparently it's the first fallen kid. never could've guessed that one. frisk had a little chat with our buddy soul, it's harder to deal with than that weird ouija board nonsense. though i did try that, and our buddy here was pretty peeved."

"That might be offensive to real ghosts, Sans." We had another laugh about that one.

"eh, i don't care. anyways, our ghost friend here decided to come on board our project. quite easily, actually. either frisk's got some charismagic or we've got a friendly ghost. speaking of the project, it's actually kinda funny how i hated the resets a good while back. now i'm working for them. god dammit, frisk."

"Hey, you want a happy ending as well, Sans." I told him back. "There's still one more to save."

"yeah, yeah, i guess. the last guy i'd expect is the one we gotta save. anyways, the reset will happen in seven days from now. gonna sign out now. we've got italian restaurant reservations with the whole crew."

"Bye, Frisk." My own self said. My vision went black.

* * *

I opened my eyes. Chara's face was in the dirt. She was snoring very softly, like a little puff of air every once in a while. She deserved the rest, too. I guessed that saving a person from terminal velocity took a bunch out of you.

Luckily this wasn't the first time I survived such a long fall. I rolled over. My spine cracked and popped, and I grimaced. I slowly got up, joints cracking and popping from being so sore. Again I was on a bed of flowers, on a small island in the middle of rushing water littered with cans and garbage.

Looks like a garbage dump. I looked over the edge of the waterfall. The trash fell down, down into oblivion, but it looped around back to the top of the waterfall with mysterious methods that I don't know. It was mesmerizing to trace a can, past the edge of oblivion, and back up as it fed back into the waterfall. I started reflecting back on myself.

I was just a girl, living her life. With her brother and family. But family passed away. So I lived by myself. I guess I was suffering from a bad bout of depression. And now?

Now I was being hunted by a ferocious warrior. Now I had a ghost sibling-friend. And now I was destined for some other purpose, unbeknownst to me.

It's a weird feeling. But the fact I had somewhere to go, finally...well, better than before, wasn't it?


	20. Chapter 17: This Place is a Dump

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waterfall.

### Chapter 17: This Place is a Dump

"Zzz…" Chara snored. I waited for her to wake up. I sat by her side, letting her rest. As much as I went around, Chara was dragged with me. She deserved the rest. She seemed like the kind she needed it.

"Mmh. Az? Az, it's me." Chara muttered. She felt around, grabbing onto my wrist. "Az. Yes, it's me, Chara. No, no, no!"

Chara bolted awake, smacking her forehead into mine and sending us both tumbling into the flowers, again.

"Um...Chara?" I pointed at my wrist, which was white from lack of circulation. She let go.

* * *

"Great. Undyne sent us tumbling into the dumps." Chara gestured at the garbage around us as we trudged in the water. She kicked a canister of Bishie Cream into a heaping pile of what looked like an Academy's worth of assorted torn up clothes. "These would be really good if we had magic to repair them. Just think, some really useful shoes are probably in these heaps."

We decided to go diving for some shoes for a bit. I dug up a pair of boy's work boots, covered in that waterproofing stuff. They were brand new, and I put them on, putting my combat boots inside my bag. Chara found similar ones, colored red.

We also found a cooler full of astronaut food and military rations. I tried one and nearly gagged. It was terrible. It tasted like powder compressed into semi-recognizable shapes, such as ice cream, cheese pizza, and hamburgers with some flavoring added to them so you wouldn't throw up when you ate it. Okay, maybe our curiosity got to us a little bit when we tried to see if all of them were as bad. They were, in case if you were curious. Except for the orange juice, which was pretty decent, tasting like orange drink mix. The military rations were a bit better than the astronaut food, but severely lacking, even when compared to Papyrus' spaghetti. I shuddered as I remembered the taste of coarse-grain noodles and half-burnt, half-cold sauce.

At least we found a box of assorted chocolates at the bottom of the cooler. "Actual food," Chara proclaimed, "not cleverly disguised and flavored erasers and powder mix." We still had a bag full of Gerson's Sea Teas, in any case. But Chara decided to put some inside the box in order to free up space, saying that "using orange juice would be more efficient for our survival." Who was I to argue? I didn't know the difference between the healing I got from juice and the healing I got from the Sea Tea. Well, at the time, at least.

There was also this cool bike horn that made a weird whooping sound. And a dummy that was nearly falling apart. I bandaged it together with some packaging tape. It seemed to look a little better.

"Hey look, it's a ghost possessing a dummy." Chara pointed out. I couldn't see the ghost. But then again, that's the whole point.

The dummy turned it's head towards us like some creepy Exorcist scene. "Hey look," it snorted, "it's a human."

"You can talk?" I asked.

"Well of course I can talk!" it shouted. "Jeez, humans...at least you were nice enough to fix me up a little."

"Maybe if you didn't yell like an old crotchety man at every living thing, others would fix you up." Chara commented. The tension between Chara and the dummy was getting thicker.

"I don't NEED people to fix me up!" the dummy yelled. "I was FINE!"

"Yeah, and then you'd call me a chicken for walking right past you. Then you'd use that as an excuse to start a fight."

"HEY! You kids just kept poking my cousin in the ruins until he gave up and moved somewhere else!"

"Correction. She did." Chara jabbed me in the ribs. I shot her a glare.

He turned towards me. "I should rip you to bits for what you did to my cousin!"

"You better think twice about that." Chara's voice seemed to have dropped two octaves, and she had this weird creepy grin on her face. "I can kick your ass any day of the week, cotton bag."

"And I can kick your ass as well, meat sack!" the dummy insulted back.

Suddenly, something behind us made the dummy's demeanor shift. "I-uh...didn't mean it, sir…" The dummy ran away. "Goodbye!"

I turned to look at what it was, but only a fading blue glow gave me any hint. Chara huffed. "Serves him right to run. He better be scared of how much I would have roughed him up."

"oh...did I interrupt something?" a familiar voice called. "sorry...I heard you arguing...and I came to help, but...someone got there before me…"

"Oh hey, it's uh...you!" I called. "What was your name...Napstablook!"

"hey...thanks for remembering my name. If you wanna hang out, feel free to visit...sorry I couldn't get here sooner…" Napstablook vanished.

"Do you have any clue what a blue glow could have been?" I asked Chara.

"Dunno." She answered. "Could've been Undyne. Could've been blue magic. Why?"

"Someone was behind us," I answered Chara. "Someone who vanished in a blue glow, most likely."

She thought about it. "Nah. You were probably seeing things. Maybe the dummy was preparing a blue attack." I swore she whispered, "That trashbag of a skeleton doesn't help at all."

We followed Napstablook to his house. It was weirdly shaped, very small, almost the size of a one-room apartment. "oh hey...you showed up."

* * *

Napstablook took out a bag of ghost chips, which he offered Chara and I. I tried to grab some, but my hand went right through the bag. Chara didn't seem to have that issue, though. So for me, Napstablook pulled out an old bag of stale Cheetos. Better than nothing.

"sorry it's not much, but I really don't get guests…so, who are you two?"

"Frisk." I introduced.

"Chara." Chara followed.

Napstablook seemed confused at Chara's appearance. "so...you're a ghost now, I guess…"

Chara leaned back and plopped her head on the floor. "That's the best way to describe it, yeah. Guess I'm a ghost now."

"but...you died…" Napstablook asked.

"I'd rather not talk about the experience of dying." She sighed. "Though I am glad that I have a human soul which lets me live longer without a body than the average boss monster. But seriously, dying's not fun."

"I see...how is the surface?"

"Last I checked, same old place. Just that humans managed to scrounge themselves together and make something out of themselves. Still squabbling about useless things."

"oh...hm…" Napstablook sighed. "so...still the same thing you told me…do you two have a place to stay…?"

We both shook our heads.

"I see...if you guys want, you can stay for the night...I can open up the house next door…"

* * *

The house next door was very pink and glittery. Five journals were on the ground that Napstablook hastily picked up. He opened the closet and took out two futons, one which he carried back to his house. I took the other futon.

"I'm a composer, so if you hear weird things at night...it's probably me…" Napstablook explained.

We thanked him for letting us stay the night, as it was already pretty late. There was a waterfall nearby that the two of us bathed in. The waterfall water was freezing cold, but both of us paid no attention to it. When we came back, strange music came from Napstablook's house. I guessed he was composing his music.

Suddenly, a bulky arm dragged us behind a rock. I looked at our captor, but it was just an Aaron, one of the many monsters that populated the Waterfall area. Head of a horse, torso of a bodybuilder, and tail of a fish.

"Kid...you hear that?" the Aaron said. This was the first time I ever saw an Aaron being scared. Of something so trivial, nonetheless.

From behind the Aaron, another muffled voice came out. "Seriously, dude? You're scared of that?" A turtle head poked out. It was a Woshua, another Waterfall resident. Also pretty germophobic, as proven by what he said next. "You're sweating so much, it's disgusting."

"Yeah, I'm scared! Anyone would! It's so creepy!" the Aaron retorted, hyperventilating in the process. I bit my tongue to not laugh. Chara was trying not to, either. Probably one of the more ironical situations we could have gotten into.

"Dude…" the Wosua slipped out of Aaron's grasp. "Seriously? You dragged me out here for this? Hey, you two girls just looked like you took a bath. Mind pointing me towards where you did?"

We pointed the Woshua towards the waterfall we came from, and he did the best he could at giving us a thumbs-up. Meanwhile, the Aaron grasped Chara by the shoulders.

"Kid, you believe me, right? That place is freaking haunted!" the Aaron was almost about to crack. I could feel my lips starting to curve up.

Chara simply looked at him. "Yeah, I do. But it's not that you should be worried about." She did an impossibly large grin. "You should be scared of me more, if you're so concerned about ghosts." The Aaron turned tail and fled, screaming. Napstablook poked his head out of the house.

"Oh...looks like he left. I thought we could say hi...oh well…" He slinked his way back into his house. Chara and I went into the spare house, where we had a nice laugh about the situation before bedding down for the night.

That night, I dreamed about ghosts under the stars.


	21. Chapter 18: The Spear of Justice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh god, oh god, dodge, dodge, dodge. Thank god Chara's better than me at this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sigh* Frisk, why do you have to be so bad at fighting?

### Chapter 18: The Spear of Justice

In the morning, when we woke up, we helped Napstablook pack up everything. He had a bit of food for us. We thanked him for his hospitality and left.

There was a portion of Waterfall ahead that was raining. Again, some helpful monster left a bucket of umbrellas. I took a red umbrella and began walking. The umbrella was a bit small for the both of us, so Chara decided to bundle herself back up inside my necklace.

"Yo! You got an umbrella?" a voice asked. The dinosaur-looking monster kid was huddled in an alcove because of the rain. "I'd get my own, but...I don't have arms."

Again, there wasn't enough space for two, so he kind of had half his body poking out of the umbrella. I decided to give him my cloak for a bit just so he could have something protecting him from the rain.

So we walked. The rain was pleasant. Then again, I liked the sound of rain. Whenever it rained, I always slept in the room with the biggest window, just so I could hear the sound of rain tapping. Chara, on the other hand, inexplicably hated it. Whenever it rained, Chara would sleep in the room with the least amount of noise. She said the rain gave her nightmares. I never complained; that meant I always got subjectively the best room.

We walked. He talked about Undyne, and how cool she was. We passed a huge area in the cavern, where we could still hear the music box plinking away at its solemn notes, speaking a eulogy to a monster long passed. From there, there stood a huge castle, in all its glory, illuminated by the crystals of the cavern. I could also see many wormlike tunnels, many of them, dug upwards, downwards, to all the sides, in a hope that the Barrier wasn't made well enough. Judging by how the closest one was covered in safety tape, I could infer that the rest were the same. There was one that was a few feet deep, and then abruptly stopped. The monsters had finally given up on that idea.

"So, um...I've been piecing the things together." the monster kid said. "With all of the...things that happened between you, and Undyne…"

"Mhm." I shrugged.

"And...well, you know the deal."

I could guess where this conversation was going. People called me slightly wistful. But I wasn't stupid.

"So...um…"

He was silent. Probably psyching himself up.

We passed a small, narrow bridge. The wind was blowing. It was a long drop. I stayed towards the center. Not that I thought he would try to push me off or anything.

"I…"

He was speaking pretty quietly.

"I think you're horrible, and I hate your guts."

He was shivering. We had an awkward silence for a bit.

"...man. I'm a bad person, aren't I?" he asked. I started laughing.

"Oh, jeez. You're crying, aren't you? I'm so sorry. Please, don't."

I couldn't take it anymore and burst into laughter. "No, no, it's fine." I comforted. "I'm sort of the same way. I can't bring myself to hurt someone who hasn't hurt others. And I can't blame you for hating me, right? I'll just have to be a bit more careful, won't I?"

His eyes brightened up, a beaming yellow. "Yeah! I actually think you're pretty awesome, too! Don't kill, and don't be killed, it's what my parents taught me! Oh, speaking of them, it's late. I gotta go, bye!"

He ran off, running quickly on the slippery boards. A little too fast. And the wind blew a little bit stronger. I could tell he was about to slip. I ran for him, but he slipped off the bridge. He caught himself by his teeth while I caught him by the neck.

I tried to pull him up. But strength wasn't exactly my strong suit. He was wet, too. My hands were slipping.

_Clunkclunkclunkclunkclunk._

A loud suit of armor. It was Undyne. She looked at me, looked at the monster kid. It took a while for her to decide what to do, all the while staring right at me. Finally, she knelt down, right next to me. Her eyes said _Let's deal with our problem later_. She pulled the monster kid right up, easily.

"There you go. Now go home." Undyne said.

"Whew, thanks, Undyne!" the kid said. He ran off, eager to be gone from the life and death scenario. Undyne also got up. She walked past me, but as she was walking, she stopped and threw her gauntlet at me. A challenge to a duel. I handed it back.

I followed her to a really big rock, where she jumped on top of. She started speaking.

"Seven human souls. That's what we need. Six. That's the amount of souls we have. Your soul is the seventh."

I nodded. Undyne continued.

"As per every human I fight, I will tell you the story of our people."

"Long ago, humans and monsters warred, where the humans won and sealed us underground."

She paused. Then, she started yelling.

"You know what? SCREW THE STORY! SCREW THIS! WHY DOES THIS STORY EVEN MATTER TO YOU, WHEN YOU'RE A DEAD SACK OF MEAT?"

She ripped off her helmet and threw it at me, which I dodged easily.

"When you're ready, step forward, and we'll both see exactly how strong you are!"

"You're not going to fight her, will you?" Chara asked.

"No. I'll fight her. But I won't kill her." I answered. "Too many respect her."

The wind was howling. I was filled with determination.

* * *

"HYAH! HUT! NGAAH!"

Spears slashed in a deadly dance. Or rather, her spear flashed in a deadly dance. My spear, which Undyne threw at me, was a bit more clumsy.

"Not bad, punk!" Undyne shouted. My necklace was a vibrant green. "When your soul is green, you can't run away! Let's see exactly how strong you are!"

It was true. When I moved too far from Undyne, I felt myself becoming more tired.

"Now fight me, dammit!" Undyne yelled. Another blitz of spears. I wasn't too good at blocking and parrying. Most of the attacks passed through my guard and hit me. I was wheezing in pain.

Undyne kicked me in the ribs, and stabbed me in the chest, right through the heart. It hurt like hell. My vision started blacking out.

"Frisk! Stay determined!" Chara shouted in my mind.

Right.

I died. But just before I did, I reached for my SAVE…

I dropped right in front of Undyne starting the duel again.

More spears. More parrying, but I haven't improved much. More dying. More LOADing.

This was getting a bit boring. Finally, after death number seventeen, Chara spoke.

"Frisk. Give control of the body to me." she said. "I can win this."

I begrudgingly passed my body over, trading places with Chara in the necklace.

Undyne pounced again. But Chara was evidently better at this than me. She spun the spear, deflecting every blow. Undyne attacked left, right, spun around Chara faster than I could track. But Chara easily blocked each thrust.

"You can't deal with this?" Chara taunted me.

"Shut up," I grumbled. Show off.

Undyne took personal offense at Chara's taunting. Her attacks got quicker. Even so, Chara dealt with Undyne impressively.

Eventually, Undyne made a mistake. She accidentally tripped herself up, and Chara took that opportunity to smash the spear in Undyne's face.

Undyne stumbled. The green of the necklace turned red again. Chara took this chance to run, while Undyne blindly threw the spear.

* * *

Tap tap tap.

Clunk clunk clunk.

I heard Chara panting as she ran as fast as she could, while Undyne kept the chase and throwing spears.

"Get back here, punk!" Undyne shouted.

"How about no?" Chara threw back. Undyne leapt forward and blocked her off.

"If you won't stand still, then I'll make you!" Undyne swung her spear. Again, the necklace glowed green.

The deadly dance of spears began again. Undyne threw some feints in the mix, but Chara blocked them quite easily. Chara danced around Undyne, not attacking until the moment was right.

Another opening. A spear right to the back of Undyne's knee. Undyne crumpled as she threw the spar at Chara.

More running. More chasing. A big sign that said, "Welcome to Hotland!"

And then, Sans. Taking a nap in a sentry station.

"Sans!" Chara shouted. "A little help?"

He winked at us. We kept running.

Undyne came stomping in. "Get back here, you punks!"

Sans woke up and started trying to sell hot dogs to Undyne. We simply ran. Based on the yelling behind us, it seemed like Sans was being quite effective in stalling Undyne.

A water cooler was waiting for us. We quickly doused ourselves in the water. Chara's running made my body sweaty and hot, and the heat of Hotland, which was a bunch of stone pillars in lava, was brutal. Good thing one of those boxes were nearby as well.

The clunking sound came, but much slower. Chara looked towards Undyne. Undyne was dragging herself along. Exhaustion was getting to her.

"Armor...too...hot…you win, punk." Undyne said, and collapsed from heat stroke. We poured water on Undyne to cool her off. She got up and left.

Ring ring.

Chara gave me back the body and recreated her own, while I answered the phone.

"Human! After Undyne and you finish your chase, do you want to go to Undyne's house?" It was Papyrus. In any case, I agreed.

Looks like we would have to backtrack a bit.


	22. Chapter 19: Undyne

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Undyne.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Well this took a while)  
> I wouldn't be concerned about Undyne, if I were you.

 

 

Before we even rounded the corner, we could hear Papyrus shouting, with a piano clanging. Somebody was trying to play Mozart. Pretty terribly, if I had to rate.

“HUMAN! You’re here!” he yelled.

“Hey look, it’s your boyfriend.” Chara taunted. I cuffed her on the head.

“Ah, two humans!” Papyrus shouted as we both rounded the corner to Undyne’s house. “Good thing I brought two gifts for Undyne! Are you Frisk’s friend?” Papyrus asked Chara.

“I guess.” Chara said.

“Well then, fear not, human! A friend of my friend is also my friend! It’s a whole chain of friendship!” Papyrus cackled. “Say, what is your name?”

“Chara.”

“Chara, hm…” Papyrus tapped his foot while he pondered. “I’ve heard that name before, in my brother’s notes…”

“Sans has notes about you?” I asked Chara.

“Don’t be surprised.” Chara replied.

“Let’s not be too concerned about this! Here, have these. Undyne loves these.” Papyrus said. He handed us two dog treats. “I’ll knock on the door, you two stay behind me.”

_ Thunk thunk thunk. _

“Undyne! It’s me, Papyrus!” he shouted. The door slid open, split down the middle. Like a mouth.

“Hey, Papyrus.” she stumbled out. She looked exhausted, almost. “You’re early today.”

“You told me last time to be early with everything I do!” he beamed. “So I showed up thirty minutes early!”

“Thirty minutes TOO early, Papyrus.” Undyne moaned. “I just got back from guard duty and I’m absolutely spent.”

“Well, that’s good then, because I brought two friends!” Papyrus’ optimism knew no bounds.

“Where are your frie- oh.” Undyne looked behind Papyrus. She saw us. Her eyes narrowed. I broke out into a cold sweat. Chara looked a little uneasy but kept her cool.

“Well, come in!” Undyne strained to also keep a decent demeanor in front of Papyrus, who was acting completely oblivious to the situation.

Undyne’s house was small but quite nicely furnished. A simple table, a nice grand piano, and a kitchen wedged in a back. Closer inspection yielded many re-sealed cracks, utilizing a strange alien sheen that probably was magic, and also a hearty dose of super glue. There was a room in the back, probably her bedroom. And a really big sword. Was it even possible to use? We handed the dog treats to Undyne.

“Did Papyrus tell you to give these to me?” she asked. “I’ll, uh...put it with the rest.” Undyne opened a drawer, filled with dog treats, and wedged it in there. Probably all from Papyrus. “So, uh...Papyrus, why are you here with them two?” she gestured.

“Me? Why, I wanted to introduce you to two friends of mine!” Papyrus beamed. And then he suddenly glanced at a nonexistent watch. “Oh, whoopsie, Undyne! I gotta go for something! Bye!”

Papyrus hurled himself at the window, where he back flipped out, Matrix-style. Before he hit the cavern walls, he suddenly vanished into thin air. Weird.

Undyne sighed. “How many times do I have to say…never mind. You two. You’re my guests now, huh?”

Undyne forced a smile for both of us. “Well, we can’t just have you two standing around, can we? How about you have a seat?” Undyne gestured at the table, which had a few chairs around it. I tried to act natural while sitting down. Chara was way better at it than I was. Meanwhile, Undyne took out an assortment of drinks.

“Right, now, would you two girls like something to drink?” she politely asked.

I moved to grab a drink. Terrible idea. Undyne threw a spear and cracked her table in half.

“Hey! You’re my guests! I can’t have guests doing all the work, can I?” Undyne shouted. I thought I saw a skull peeking in from the broken window. Undyne lobbed another spear, which Chara caught. “Just point at what you want with the spear. Nice catch, green shirt kid.”

A mischievous grin spread across Chara’s face. “Just a reflex.” she dismissed. “And as for what I want to drink…”

Chara spun the spear around and pointed it at Undyne. I laughed. Chara was doing the exact eyebrow wiggle that my brother had mastered, with a dirty joke opportunity that only he could have spotted before anyone even realized what was happening. Technically they were both the same person, so that was probably why. In any case, Undyne’s face went from a teal blue to a bright red. And earned Chara another spear a few inches to her right.

“I AM NOT A DRINK!” Undyne yelled. “And I am most definitely not interested in you!”

There was sugar, a canister of hot chocolate, soda, and some tea as well. The soda looked kind of old and sticky. And the hot chocolate looked pretty beat-up. Ew, did it spill and stick onto the soda?

Only the tea looked suitable for human (and monster) consumption. So I politely pointed my spear at the tea. Undyne looked quite satisfied with this choice after her outburst, so she got out a few cups while the kettle of hot water heated up. When it heated up, which didn’t take long due to a combination of magic and conventional electricity, there were three cups of green tea, branded as “Golden Flower Tea” for us in those Japanese teacups. We all took nice sips of quite fragrant tea, seemingly quite high quality. I knew Chara liked her coffee and tea scalding hot and so did Undyne, apparently. Before I had finished three sips both had already guzzled down one cup and were reaching for the next. I personally wasn’t a fan of hot drinks, but after the Snowdin cold and the chilling spray of Waterfall, the tea was quite welcome.

Undyne was the first to talk. “I take it you are quite the warrior, then.” she gestured at Chara. “You caught that spear. And you drink hot tea like me!”

“Maybe.” Chara smirked. “But what if I wasn’t? What if I’m just a human who has weird reflexes and likes hot drinks?”

“Do you think I’m an idiot, punk?” Undyne challenged. She slammed her cup on the table and reached for the tea kettle. “No normal human can catch one of my spears. And I assume you were the one fighting me. You moved the exact same way just now as you did during our fight. And you two look alike. Are you two sisters or something? I’m sure you two just decided to swap clothes.”

Undyne’s theory didn’t even come close to the truth. But she turned to me. “And you? The other kid? You look like you can’t even hurt a fly! Look at those noodle arms!”

She sighed. “But, you know, both of you...kinda remind me of Asgore.”

“How so?” I asked.

“Well, let’s start with greenshirt right there.”

“Greenshirt has a name, Undyne. It’s ‘Chara.’” Chara snorted. Undyne paused.

“Asgore’s mentioned your name a few times. Anyways,” she continued, “you’re just like him. Once, to prove my strength, I challenged him to a fight. I couldn’t land a single hit. And then when I was on the ground, sweating and tired, he poured a cup of water on me. Just like you did.” Undyne gestured at me.

“And then, he offered to train me. So many training sessions went by, and on one day, I finally managed to catch him square in the snout!” Undyne pounded the table. “He was knocked flat on the floor, and I felt, well...a bit bad for the old man. But he looked prouder than ever. His snout was bleeding a little bit of ichor, but it was fine! Nothing a little monster food couldn’t heal.”

Right. Ichor was basically monster blood. It was in that book Chara got from the Librarby. Which we returned on our trip back from being chased by Undyne. Yay for being able to remember library dues!

“So afterwards, he kinda became my dad. Because I really didn’t have parents.” Undyne recalled. She looked at our faces. “I can tell that you want know what happened to my parents.”

We nodded.

“They both were killed. By humans.” She grit her teeth. “Killed by the one with the blue soul. The dancer. Danced up a pretty storm, and then smack, right in their faces. My parents didn’t even have time to scream before they were dusted. If there was any consolation in it all, when that human realized what she had done, she handed her soul to Asgore. She let me take her there.”

Undyne’s face was downcast. “And she wasn’t the only one who broke families, either. You two know that monster kid, right? The kid with no arms and is from the Basilisk family?” I nodded. The Basilisk family of monsters was every lizard-like monster. “The human with the yellow soul killed his parents. Two great guards, too. But he just took out his gun, and one, two, killed both of them. And took my eye with him, too, as I impaled him. And young monsters of that monster kid’s descent, well, they’re near helpless. They have stubby arms that only grow as they mature. He was lucky that he was old enough to figure out how to use his mouth and tongue to do everything. That, and the Snowdin residents were nice enough to take care of his well-being.” 

She sighed. “See, this is why I’m so doubtful on sending Papyrus to fight. You know him. He can’t fight!” She slapped the table again, in an exasperated manner as she poured herself another cup, and chugged it all in one go, slamming her cup down on the table. “Good thing you didn’t want to kill him, otherwise he’d just get ripped to smiling little shreds as he does those ridiculous things he does while he fights. I bet you he wasn’t even trying when he fought you. He probably pulled so many punches, if he was actually pulling physical punches at the degree he was doing, his forearm would detach from his elbow.”

I nodded. On hindsight, a lot of the bones he threw were more there to look cool. Only about half of the bones really were in any threat to me, and none of them were lethal. Undyne continued with her talking. “So that’s why I instead started teaching Papyrus how to cook. Because, you know...he’s not cut out to be a warrior. Doctor, bartender, merchant, anything else, anything that requires a good deal of charisma like Papyrus’ own quirky brand...he’d go miles. But fighting? No. Speaking of cooking…”

A strange glint appeared in Undyne’s eye. An alarm clock went off, and Undyne jumped to her feet. “Papyrus isn’t here for his cooking lesson! Which means, you’ll have to take it for him!”

She jumped on the counter, and in one roundhouse kick, swiped everything off the top of it. I ducked as a box of tea was sent flying over my head. She punched a hole in a cabinet, and out came a few tomatoes, onions, boxes of uncooked pasta, some salt, and a spatula.

“Now get over here, you punks!” Undyne yelled, while grabbing our heads in a chokehold as she leapt around her house like the Hulk, smashing up everything just like the Hulk as well. I had a moment where my life flashed before my eyes as I started asphyxiating, and when Undyne leapt over to the countertop and set me down, I dropped on the counter, probably looking a little blue in the face, and started checking to see if my head was still on right while I hyperventilated. Chara looked about the same state I did. But she recovered much quicker.

“Now! Pound those vegetables with your fists like they’re the faces of your enemy!” Undyne yelled.

I couldn’t even hit those vegetables even if I tried. I was about to pass out. I tried to punch the vegetable, but only succeeded in lightly brushing the tomato with my knuckles. Chara at least succeeded in knocking the tomato against the wall.

“No! Stop petting the enemy!” Undyne’s face started flushing red again, probably because she was yelling and swinging herself around so much. She gave the vegetables a pile driver and broke the countertop, all the while splashing my face with tomato juice.

“NOW! PUT THOSE NOODLES IN THE OPT AND STIR!” Undyne yelled. I crushed the noodle box open, not because I was trying to cook like Undyne, but because I didn’t have the senses about me to open the noodles normally. I was still suffering from a lack of oxygen. Chara stirred.

“STIR HARDER!” Undyne yelled. “You know what, screw it! I’ll stir it!” She took out a spear and pierced the pot multiple times. The pot was reduced to a pile of scrap metal. “NOW! Turn up the heat!”

I grasped the heat knob and began turning it. I turned it up to the highest setting.

“HOTTER!” Undyne yelled. I pushed the knob more, and it broke the safety. Oh well.

The dial kept going, as Undyne yelled and the flames intensified. This wasn’t very good for me, who already had a lack of oxygen. I was so dizzy I didn’t notice that the knob came off.

“Wait, not that hot-” Undyne said, as the flames leapt from the stovetop to the walls. In an instant, Undyne’s house was up in flames. And we were still inside of it. The air filled with smoke and made my eyes sting. The smoky air was also very much not good for me as I staggered around, both from too much oxygen deprivation lately as well as simply my watering eyes.

Undyne started coughing as well. “Well...that failed.” I just barely managed to nod while Chara was desperately trying to open the door so we could get out.

“Well, there’s only one way left that we can resolve this, human. May I have the honor of knowing your name?” Undyne asked me.

“Frisk,” I half-choked. Too much smoke. I felt horrible. Chara was still trying to break down the door, while someone else on the other side was slamming it as well, faintly screaming, “HUMAN!”

“Well, then, Frisk. Prepare yourself for a duel! This is the only way I can recover my lost honor!”

She braced herself in a combat stance. I braced myself in an I-feel-like-I’m-dying-and-need-medical-attention stance. “Fight me, Frisk! I will let you have the first attack!”

I had way too much smoke inhaled, way too little oxygen, and to top it off, I was not a good fighter. Sure, I could dodge, but that was it. But I gave it my best shot. I clenched my fist, and took a swing at Undyne.

Or rather, I missed entirely, my fingernail scratching her face, me tripping over. Had I been more conscious, I would have been flush with embarrassment. Outside, I could hear voices shouting, “Stand back! Stand back!” I barely moaned. I couldn’t see. My eyes were closed.

Undyne dropped her combat stance and instead picked me up. “Jeez...kid. Sorry. I should have seen it sooner. You’ve got no fight in you. God, I need to get you to a doctor. I hope Alphys will fix you up well.”

I made a sort of grumble in my throat, probably about the same noise plague victims made when they were almost dead.

A low hum echoed outside the door as the front was blasted open by a blast of roaring light, the sound a deafening howl. Not good for me. A horrible migraine seized me, causing me to sweat and shiver in pain.

Before I finally, finally passed out, a massive relief, I saw what appeared to be an orange scarf, a blue hoodie, and a lab coat as I barely managed to open my eyes one last time. A blue light entered the house as I was thrown into some zero gravity space. I was too sick already to feel anymore sick from that.


	23. Chapter 20: Dancing With Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Am I dead?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everything is going according to plan.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

Ugh. Someone shut that horrible thing off. I would, if I was feeling it. But at the current moment I couldn't move. My limbs wouldn't respond.

Then, I heard a glimpse of voices.

"She's in critical condition."

"What's the issue? Oh, it's on the clipboard-lethal levels of carbon monoxide and suffocation."

"Oxygen mask, pure. Now."

A mask pressed over my face. I blacked out again.

* * *

I had a faint memory of hospitals. A horror scene, almost. Everything felt familiar.

I hated hospitals. Always some sort of irrational fear. I always refused to step into those clean rooms with that horrible clean smell that, to me, reeks of death.

I faintly, in my stupor, recalled white coats quickly poking and prodding me. They seemed satisfied with my condition and started prodding someone nearby. And in the hallway, an operating table rushed by. Doctors were panicking. The air was heavy with dread. Or was it something else? A dark mist, of sorts, also hung in the room.

The light reddened, for some reason. Then, it gathered on the person next to me, and faded.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

Doctors shouting at each other. Then, a surgeon burst into the room and said something, which sapped all the doctors of their panic, replacing it with a melancholy that smothered me back into darkness.

* * *

And then, suddenly, I was forced out of my body. Not by Chara. Not a dream.

Was I dead? No. I can't be. I couldn't be.

I could see clearly again. I was on a medical table, surrounded by strange equipment. Papyrus, Sans, and Undyne were sitting nearby, faces full of worry. Next to me, directly treating me, was Chara and another monster, a lizard of some sort wearing a lab coat and silver-rimmed glasses. Chara was flipping through her notebook, while the lizard was trying desperately to get my body fresh air.

Speaking of my body, I had seen better days. I try to keep my hair semi-groomed, but my hair was now an absolute mess. My face was tinted purple. My body by itself was gasping for air through the oxygen mask. But at least I was still alive.

"Her body may be in critical condition, but it's still functioning!" Chara shouted. "We need to get that carbon monoxide out of her system, now. A blood transfusion may help as well."

The lizard only nodded and scampered off. Chara turned back to my body and squeezed my hand.

"Stay with me," she whispered.

"Will Frisk be alright?" Papyrus nervously asked. Chara turned to Papyrus.

"Maybe. Frisk might be nearly dead, but she's still fighting. I'd suggest you three leave." The three of them left as the lizard returned with multiple blood bags and vials.

"Which ones have a chance of working?" the lizard asked.

"Thankfully, Frisk is AB positive, so all of them should work. We only have to check for compatibility between the blood." Chara said, grabbing one with a light blue label. "O Negative...perfect. Blood was from...I know this person."

The lizard coughed. "Sorry, what?"

"Never mind that." Chara hastily interjected. "What else did you bring-oh, a vial of DT." Chara gasped. "Ready a syringe of that as well. And a syringe of magic for luck."

The lizard seemed troubled. "Are you...sure?" she asked.

Chara hooked the blood bag up to my body. "Positively will give us more time. Can you synthesize a carbon monoxide-removing protein?"

The lizard seemed very confused for a second, then remembered something. "I can try," she said.

Chara left the lizard alone, when she then whispered in my ear, "I'm sorry, Frisk. This is gonna hurt like hell."

Chara injected the vial of DT and the vial of magic into my body. It burned, like she injected liquid fire into my blood. My body thrashed in pain.

Again, blackness.

* * *

And now I was in a black void.

I had a body, but it was a black expanse of nothing surrounding me.

So I walked. I didn't know where, but I decided to walk.

All around me were fragments of dreams, all of a sudden. Crystalline shards of those strange loops.

"Ether...the substance of souls." Loop 79.

"The fusion of souls is the combination of ether." Loop 102.

"Ether is one of the hardest substances to fabricate, as it requires magic and determination." Loop 212.

"To create a monster soul, I will need a human-monster soul hybrid." Loop 213.

"Circuloid souls are human-monster hybrids, formed because the monster soul likes to orient down, and the human soul likes to orient up." Loop 225.

Many more of these memories surrounded me, speaking about how ether was what made the soul feel, how all souls are encased in either magic or determination, sometimes both. I inferenced that determination was something humans produced.

Finally, I saw someone else. A teenage boy, dark haired, wearing a white, blank mask, a gray hoodie and black shirt, with jeans on. He had a book in his hand and was constantly writing in it.

"Hello, Frisk." he greeted. "You're here early."

"Am I dead?" I asked. He shook his head.

"No. But you will be, very soon. Unless if I change it." He produced an eraser, erased a few things in the notebook, and wrote something new. "After all, we can't have our main heroine die, can we? Not yet, at least. It'll be a while before this takes effect. Care to spend some time with me? It gets a little lonely here."

Did I have a choice? A couch slid over out of nothing, and we both sat on it. A table with two cups of orange juice slid over. He took a cup, and sipped from it. Somehow, through his mask.

"Dum de dum...three's a really important number, you know. And beware the notebooks. You'll know which ones." he mused.

I simply sat and drank my orange juice.

He turned to me. "Frisk." He said. "Have you ever felt like you're just a component of some grand story? Like this is all just someone's creation?"

I paused. Then I spoke up.

"You know, you do have a point. Sometimes in life, I just feel like a minor character in the grand scheme of history."

He smirked. "Well, someone else will know what I'm talking about."

The faint sound of smooth jazz floated in the air. He was flicking something around. When I peered, it was a red pill. He flicked it into the air, where it vanished.

"There are many mysteries in this world, Frisk. Some will be handed to you. Some will be hidden. But it is your job to take the mysteries given, and build more upon that which has been concealed from you. After all, someone's hiding them, right? If the world is a story, then some author is hiding them."

I paused. Then I spoke. "If the author of this world ever meets me, I'd like to give him or her a word or two."

He laughed. "You certainly do have every right to do so, Frisk. The author of this world has been quite cruel. Yet, the cruelties inflicted upon you...would you exchange them for a chance to live normally?" He asked.

I pondered his question. I would love to live normally. I want to be just an ordinary person…

...right?

No. I loved Chara. I had a fondness towards all my strange monster friends. And above all, I feel like all these harsh experiences woke me up to the world. Like that red pill from the Matrix. Wait, are you serious? Did he flick that red pill around as something ironic? In any case, my answer was ready.

"No." I answered. "For the things I gained from my hardships, I would not trade away my life for someone else's."

He chuckled. "That's the right answer, Frisk! I'd love to keep talking, but we're running out of time." He got up, and the couch slid away, me reflexively standing up. He was right. My vision here was folding into darkness.

"Wait!" I shouted, before my vision faded away. "Who are you?"

He turned to me, his hand outstretched. "Hello." He stated. "My name is Meta."

What he said next chilled me to the bone.

"Some call me Death. I go by that name sometimes. But I also will accept the name 'Author.'"

* * *

And I was once again surrounded in blackness. But this time, the darkness was familiar. Slowly, the darkness peeled away, to reveal a vibrant orange heart. A soul.

A soul that was familiar. I couldn't place my name on who. Chara? No.

Then it dawned on me.

"Jeff? Bro?" I mumbled.

The heart beat. From my chest, I could see a similar red heart. It beat in sync with the orange heart. The orange heart beat, faster and faster. The red heart followed.

Ba-dump, ba-dump, badump badump badump…

Whiteness…

* * *

Ow...my head hurt. Seems awfully familiar.

Wait, wasn't I dying? And I had a strange dream about someone. He called himself...Author? I had forgotten most of the dream.

I sat up, very slowly. I learned from the last two times. I was in a simple room with one bed, a table, a door, and a chair. Slowly, I moved myself to the door.

A hand caught me. I turned around. It was Chara.

"Frisk. You're finally up. It's been a week." She said, picking me up and putting me on the bed. "Wait here. I'll find Alphys."

Who was Alphys? It was too late to ask. Chara had already run off to call for Alphys.

A moment later, the same yellow lizard from my death visions with silver-rimmed glasses poked her head in. "Hi," she squeaked. "I'm Alphys."


	24. Chapter 21: It's Showtime!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You call this a quiz show? I just recovered and you give me this?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Delays, delays, delays.  
> I doubt they will happen like this ever again.

### Chapter 21: It's Showtime!

Still a little bit weak, I tried to stand up and walk around. I almost immediately fell over. My stomach grumbled from a lack of food.

"Oh, sorry, sorry, I should have prepared something for you to eat. Does cup noodles sound okay for you?" Alphys asked.

Honestly at this point anything would be nice. I nodded as Alphys prepared me a nice styrofoam cup of instant noodles. When she was done she handed me the cup and some chopsticks, which I grabbed and although my first reflex was to eat it all quickly, my better judgement told me to eat it slowly, bite by bite. I didn't want to throw up all over the place.

While I ate at the small table, Alphys pushed her glasses up her snout and started examining me.

"So, um...are you feeling alright?" she asked.

Ignoring my inability to stand straight, as well as my ravenous hunger at the moment, I felt fine.

"Yes," I replied.

"Any odd feelings?" Alphys asked. "Such as tingling, burning, melting?"

I recalled to the death vision of Chara injecting me with whatever DT was. Speaking of a burning, I felt something inside of me that was warm, like a burning ember of sorts, resting on what I could call my...soul?

"A little bit of a warm sense." I replied. Alphys hastily took out a pair of strange binoculars as she looked at me with it.

"Good." she sighed. "Nothing serious. Just a slight destabilization."

I had no idea what she just said. But that didn't matter as I drank the warm instant noodle broth. Ah. That felt amazing. Now I wanted another cup. Alphys saw the desire for another cup in me, and shuffled over to heat up another cup of noodles, leaving Chara to deal with me. Naturally, Chara poked me around. Then she wrapped her arms around me and gave me a bone-crushing hug that almost choked me out again. She quickly released, however.

"Frisk. Your problems were actually worse than we thought." Chara slid into the chair Alphys was in. "Take a look at this."

She reached into a folder Alphys brought with her and pulled out a medical report. Inside of it was a medical summary.

"You know basic medical knowledge, right, Frisk?" Chara asked. I nodded. Chara slid out more papers.

"Here's what was wrong with you that day." Chara said. She didn't look straight at me. I looked at the top paper. Carbon monoxide poisoning, collapsed trachea, collapsed lung.

"Undyne, well...she admitted she was a bit too rough with you. The collapsed lung, though...it just happened." Chara nervously chuckled. I was silent for a bit. Then I spoke up.

"For all of this, one week to recover is pretty quick." I commented.

"We used magic. A lot of it. Undyne, Papyrus, Sans, and Alphys, they all ran dry on wove your lungs and trachea with a lot of magic, trying to stick it back onto the rib cage. And even then your breathing stopped , and you couldn't LOAD." Chara replied. "Everything that happened almost burned your soul out. We're not even sure if your soul is stable or not. And your lung still isn't fully healed. We had to bind the magic to your own soul, which is something, according to Alphys, that no one has ever tried."

Oh. That was pretty bad. I felt around my chest. Right around the area of my left nipple there was a scar. At least it was my left lung, the smaller one. I also felt around my throat. There was another scar as well. Chara put her hands around mine, leaning over the table. She put her forehead against mine. I could feel my face reddening. And my breathing was a bit tighter than before. Again, only one lung. This would take a little getting used to.

"Please, Frisk. Don't die." Chara whispered. "You're the only family I have left."

I saw...tears in her eyes? She gave me a big hug, like how Toriel did when I was leaving her home. Then she sat back down as Alphys brought in another cup noodles for me, along with a third dry package for me to have on the road and a thermos with hot water.

"I-ah, assume you told Frisk everything?" Alphys asked. Chara nodded. Alphys sighed. "Good." She nodded and breathed a sigh of nervous relief. "Good."

"Alphys, why are you so worried?" Chara asked.

Alphys simply muttered "A story for another time. Anyways," Alphys huffed as she got up, "I'm uh...Alphys. I'm the doctor that helped you out. I was uh...supposed to be trying to capture you." she said. "But, um...I tried my hardest to capture you, but watching someone march around kind of makes you cheer for them, no matter who it is. Plus, you were dying, and...heh."

Alphys was visibly cold sweating. Why, I wasn't too interested in. That burning feeling was getting a little bit stronger. And now that I was fully awake and my hunger sated, my chest had a dull ache whenever I breathed.

"A-anyways, um...I took the liberty of upgrading your phone...Frisk, right?" Alphys asked as she helped me into what I assumed to be her main lab area, covered in anime posters and littered with assorted junk food canisters. I nodded.

"We never know, though." Chara snorted back. "Maybe Frisk actually died and now this is some spooky ghost controlling her body. Or some alien abducted Frisk and now we're all gonna die. Or it's a doppleganger and now we're all screwed because it's sent to kill us all."

"Chara, please." I groaned. "It's me, alright." Although there may have been a grain of truth to the spooky ghost crack theory. Alphys looked equally done with Chara.

"Yep. It's still you, Frisk." Chara laughed.

"Anyways…" Alphys groaned. "There's, um...something I should tell you. You know that trap in Snowdin? T-the colored tile maze?"

I nodded. I haven't forgotten a single one of Papyrus' ridiculous puzzles. Especially that one. Though I didn't remember a single instruction.

"Well...I may have used a supercomputer for that puzzle, and it may have became, uh...sentient…" Alphys squeaked. "I-uh...made it as a murder machine, but it kind of became a show host as well…"

"How does that make any sense?" I asked.

"Erm...well...you see…" Alphys squeaked, before a loud grating sound interrupted her.

"What was that?" Chara asked as she spun around trying to find where the sound came from.

**Bang.**

A loud crash emenated from the wall behind Alphys.

"Um…" Alphys squeaked.

**Bang.**

The wall started denting in a weird boxy shape.

"Oh no…" Alphys sighed.

**CRASH.**

"OH YES!" some weird boxy robot that looked somewhat like one of those cool MIDI pads with a single wheel on the bottom shouted as it wheeled out from the new hole in the wall, weird funky music blaring from its speakers located below its Technicolor face, the light squares beeping along to the music. "Welcome to the MTT quiz show time, starring your loooovely host, METTATON!" Mettaton beeped into a microphone, his voice sounding like Robert Downey Jr's voice on autotune. "Let's all give a good round of our applause to our contestant!"

A shower of confetti rained onto my head as Mettaton mashed a button on his face, playing a snare drum that could have been taken as a clap. While looking completely ridiculous, it also was pretty cool, as I had to admit. His hands were a whirl as he adjusted his settings around.

"And now, for quiz time!" Mettaton yelled, as he ejected a screen out of...I don't even want to mention. He placed the screen on a pedestal he pulled out of the wall. "Answer correctly...or you die! Good luck, contestant!"

* * *

The stage lights brightened as the room lighting turned dark, the lights and camera on me. The screen flickered on, emblazoned with the letters "MTT" before Mettaton started off again.

"It's time for our first question! Contestant, what's the reward for getting a question right?"

"Um…" I mumbled. Mettaton's face turned into a count-down timer. Oh shoot. Chara was on the side, unable to do anything. I doubted she could have, either. Mettaton's microphone crackled with electricity. Something I didn't want to hit me.

"TEN SECONDS!" Mettaton yelled.

Oh boy. I thought hard on what could possibly be the answer. "More questions?" I asked, with a forced grin.

"CORRECT!" A victorious sound, suspiciously sounding like the "Battle Victorious" jingle from old RPG games. Whew. I barely wiped my sweat when…

"NEXT QUESTION!" Mettaton announced.

"Quick question!" I interjected. "How many questions are there?"

Mettaton tried to put on the most "are-you-really-asking-me-this" face he had. For a metal box with a wheel on the bottom, he was pretty impressive. TV personalities.

"Where are the knives?" Mettaton asked.

What? I wasn't too sure if he was threatening me, or if he was asking me a quiz question.

"In...the knife drawer?" I asked.

**ZAP.** Mettaton shocked me for getting the wrong answer. Ow, that really stung. Luckily it wasn't too high-powered.

"Silly contestant! Monsters don't need knives? Who needs knives when you've got magic? Or an MTT-Brand Three-in-one Eating Utensil? Available in stores today!"

How was I supposed to know that?

"Next question!" Mettaton blared.

This quiz really was moving way too fast.

"How much does a bone weigh?" Mettaton asked.

"A...skele-ton?" I nervously chuckled. If Papyrus was watching, I could feel him slam his face in the floor.

"Actually...I was looking for 'Fifteen percent of the body's weight divided by two hundred and six.' But for that bad pun, I'll let you pass. Next question: Who is indisputably the best TV show host in the Underground?"

"Mettaton?" I answered.

"Correct!" Horns tooted. "Next question: Can a can do the can can?" Mettaton asked.

"No, because it has no legs." I answered.

"Correct! Now, for something more interesting. You are approached by a frenzied Royal Scientist, who yells, 'I'm going to put my quantum harmonizer in your photonic resonation chamber!' What's your response?"

"But doctor, wouldn't that cause a parabolic destabilization of the fission singularity?" I answered reflexively. And then I realized what the question was. Needless to say, I should play less Fallout.

"Correct, you nerd!" Mettaton stated condescendingly.

Oh my god.

"Next question! How do you make grown monsters cry?" Mettaton asked.

"Uh...play 'What's Going Pussycat' twenty times, then play 'It's Not Unusual?'" I timidly answered.  
By some blessing, Mettaton knew. "Correct! Now please, do not do this at Grillbys or at the MTT Resort, or something will get broken. Next question!"

That explained the broken jukebox back in Snowdin. Sans, most likely, actually did that. Mettaton, however, didn't let me dwell on that as he asked, "Would you, in theory, smooch a ghost?"

Um.

What.

I looked around. The timer on Mettaton's face was going up. The TV screen displayed "HECK YEAH." Chara was bawling at this point in laughter.

"Heck...yeah?" I answered, forcing a grin so wide my face hurt.

"Correct!" Mettaton shouted. "Next question: How many tickles does it get to make an octopus laugh?"  
"Ten tickles." I groaned out. Classic punchline to a classic joke. Wasn't even really funny anymore.

"Correct! Now, can you make sour cream without cream?" Mettaton asked.

"No, you do not need cream to make sour cream." I answered. "It's actually produced in a process where bacteria take lactase-"

"Next question!" Mettaton interrupted. "In the hit webcomic, _Homestuck_ , what is the respective birthdays of John Egbert, Rose Lalonde, Dave Strider, and Jade Harley?"

"They are all on 4/13." I answered. Same birthday as me.

"Correct! Now, complete this! A sound beep rests within a sound beep and a sound beep. What goes in the beeps? There are three different answers."

"A sound SOUL rests within a sound MIND and a sound BODY." I answered. What kind of a quiz show was this? Was he not entertained?

"Correct! Now, how do you pronounce this?" Mettaton displayed a very chinky-looking ASCII emoticon on his screen. I sighed.

"I'm not...even answering this one."

"So you choose to skip! Okay, next question! This is a tough one! Who does...Alphys have a crush on?" Mettaton asked.

I looked over in the corner. Alphys was screaming into her hands. Chara was having a whale of a time.

And I had no idea who Alphys had a crush on. Off the top of my head, guessing around and deducing a bit of information…the anime...the small glimpses I had for who Alphys was with…

"Undyne?" I asked. Mettatton ducked his MIDI pad face downwards.

"Cor...rect!" Mettaton announced my victory as Alphys started looking a little blue in the face herself. I hoped she wouldn't have to suffer what I just went through a week ago.

"Oh, no, don't deny it, Alphys!" Mettaton said. "Alphys here does so much for Undyne. She always buys Undyne nice gits on her birthday, names things like programming variables after her...heck, half my code's variables are all some variation on the name 'Undyne!' That, audience, should give you a very good idea on the extent of Alphys' crush! And this, today, concludes this episode! Let's all give our contestant a good round of applause!"

Again with the button mash for the snare drum.

"And now, goodbye!" Mettaton shouted as he pushed a series of buttons. His arms and wheel retracted as he folded the screen back in and took off like a rocket, breaking a hole in the ceiling, taking his cameras and just leaving me, Chara, and a very blue Alphys in the lab.


	25. Chapter 22: Land of Heat and Clockwork

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Surprisingly, the land named Hotland is pretty cool.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Progressing forwards.

### Chapter 22: Land of Heat and Clockwork

"Are you okay?" Alphys was the first to ask. I felt fine, other than a few electricity burns I showed Alphys, who applied a sort of cream to them. The cream was very cooling, and I felt the burns fade away.

"That...um...wasn't really supposed to happen." Alphys chuckled. "I thought he was much farther away than what I guessed."

"That...was amazing." Chara laughed. "Aside from the electrical burns you got, but that was amazing!" She showed me a recording on my phone of the entire happening that had just occurred. It was exactly as ridiculous as I thought it would turn out to be. I took the phone back after about ten seconds of it, already pretty unimpressed with how ridiculous everything turned out. Too much.

"A-anyways, Frisk…" Alphys interrupted, after I had reobtained my phone. "You see your Google Drive app? Well...now you can store items in it as well. It's hooked up to the boxes. Just give it a few moments to scan whatever you're putting inside your phone."

I nodded. Chara brought out our stuff as I scanned it all in.

"I also took the liberty of putting an inhaler inside of it, in case you ever feel a shortness of breath. Take a puff and you'll feel better, I promise." Alphys said. "I'll be contacting you through your phone as you go across Hotland and the Core. It's, um...pretty dangerous."

We said our goodbyes to Alphys as we walked on through her lab, towards the Core. On our way out, I checked the hole Mettaton left. The space was only a few inches. He must have slid his way through perfectly.

Monsters are weird.

* * *

Alphys was anything but helpful. Apparently she intergrated my Facebook with Undernet, some sort of monster social networking site, and took the liberty to add a couple of friends I knew to the 'friends' list, including herself. It certainly didn't help when once every few seconds, Alphys posted something like "Check out this cool anime!" or "Wow, this sucks."

On another note, Hotland was pretty, well, hot. I was sweating in a very short amount of time along with Chara, and as we switched from long-sleeved shirts to short-sleeved, and finally from short-sleeved to sleeveless, I got to see the full extent of both Chara's scars, and the amount of atrophy and color I lost in my skin.

Chara's scars dotted all over her arms. They ranged from small blister scars to larger scars from what appeared to be an assortment of everything from knives to stones. I didn't press. On another note, Chara was pretty lean for her slim form, just like mine. Her skin color was quite pale, however. Alarmingly pale, like she'd spent a year or two without sunlight.

If only I could be as well-toned as her, especially after a week out. When I fell, my skin was just beginning to bronze due to my Chinese ethnicity and the time I spent out in the sun. My arms weren't exactly noodles, but they weren't very tough, either.

Now, my arms were growing quite shockingly pale. My arms were very skinny as well, and I had the physical fatigue to back it up already. I hadn't even walked half a mile yet and already I was gasping for air. I fished around in my phone's new storage for the inhaler, and took the first of what was marked as "five thousand guaranteed uses of custom mixed." It had an aftertaste like Toriel's pie and gave me a fresh breath of air. Amazing.

"You okay, Frisk?" Chara asked. She leaned over me.

"I'm fine." I answered. I straightened back up.

Luckily for me, a good portion of the journey ahead was conveniently placed conveyor belts, quick and so smooth that all a person had to do was just lie down, and stare at the ceiling.

I finally took this time to close my eyes and take in the feeling of my surroundings. Sure, the magma below us was hot, because it was called HOTland for a reason. From this I deduced that I was actually pretty close to the Earth's core.

But in another aspect, everything felt amazing. The magma rose and fell, brightening the world and then darkening it. Like the Earth breathed. It's heart and breath pulsed according to the magma.

And so did everything with it. Gears clanked to the life-giving rhythm of the Earth. Steam whooshed when the Earth exhaled. The conveyor belt even followed this natural life force of what the Middle Ages could only describe as "the very pulse of Gaea." If, you know, they could dig deep enough to see this.

I saw a few other monsters milling about: some burning coils of rope that made me cough and sputter, which attracted over weird volcano monsters that tried to heal me with lava, which didn't work out very well, and some airplanes-looking monsters that took a wide berth around me whenever I got too close. Between all three of these, which, combined with the heat, made me dehydrated faster than standing in a desert, the amount of time I had to lie down and contemplate Hotland was actually rather small. But it was still great.

Fwoosh.

My latest lie-down time was rudely interrupted by a jet of steam lifting me up into the air, before promptly dropping me on a stone platform in front of a matrix of lasers, knocking the wind out of me, giving a little "oof." Luckily, I didn't hit my head. Chara hopped over the gap on the next jet of steam, laughing at my misery. Great.

"Hey, I found this." Chara tossed a stained apron at me. "It's better than that bandana you've been carrying around."

The apron smelled distinctly like home, or at least the perfect form of home. It smelled like a family I never had. I blinked a couple of times and got over it. Remember the cogs. Remember the apron. Remember the awe, the feeling of the rhythm of the Earth. I used my powers to make a SAVE.

And just then, my phone rang. The caller ID was "Doctor Alphys Altavia." I pushed "Accept."

"Oh hi, Alphys." I said.

"H-hey, uh...you see those lasers, right?" Alphys asked. "They, um...work like magical attacks. Blue lasers can't hit you if you don't move, and orange lasers can't hit you if you move. Got it?"

"Got it." I told Alphys.

I hung up and evaluated the situation. Then, I moved. I ducked through the first few lasers quite well. But a pair of moving blue lasers gave me a bit of trouble as I accidentally tripped one of them. An alarm went off as a gun turret popped out of the floor, firing three quick shots at the intruder, which so happened to be me. One bullet caught me in the shoulder, giving me a stinging magical injury. Chara, meanwhile, was powersliding, leaping, and Matrix-dodging her way through the lasers, crossing a seemingly impossible gap in the process, and landing with a good bit of gusto. Show-off.

I found a switch near where the gun popped up, which was marked as ON. I put the switch to OFF. The lasers shut down. However, my victory was short lived as I noticed a large stone door blocking my path. Alphys called me again.

"Oh, um...this door has two puzzles you need to solve in order to open it. Try the one on the left first, I'll get back to you!" Alphys squeaked. Then she hung up.

The method of getting there was again on those steam vents. I stood on top of one of the vents, and when the steam lifted me up, I landed gracefully on the floor. Or, at least, I tried. I almost nailed the landing, but my legs wobbled at the last second and I almost fell over, had Chara not caught me. The muscle atrophy would be very, very annoying.

"Do I have to carry you around, like the old days?" Chara asked. Again, I shot her a glance.

"Hey, it was just an offer." Chara replied to my glare.

There were a couple of monsters standing around the entrance, who looked like some weird love child between missing texture humanoids and crash test dummies. They were all chatting about Mettaton's recent show. Eugh. I still shuddered at how weird some questions were. Where did he even get the question about Fallout from?

The puzzle in question, however, was quite nice. It consisted of moving asteroids around with gravity so you could take a shot at the ship on the other side. I pretty much breezed through the puzzle. It honestly was quite odd how most monsters were even supposed to be stuck on this. I went over to the right side, this time much more prepared for the landing. This time, there was a different collection of monsters, trapped behind a blue laser. And then, Alphys called me again.

"Hey, um...you've already solved the first one, huh? That blue laser looks like it's blocking those monsters. Hold on."

On Alphys' end, there was a bit of keyboard clacking. When it finished, the blue laser turned off, and all the monsters ran off.

"I cut the power for the laser." Alphys said. "That should let you get to the puzzle...do you need my help?"

It turns out we didn't need her help as I breezed through just about the same "shoot-the-other-spaceship puzzle." Also pretty simple. I poked my head out of the puzzle room as I heard a loud grating noise, and the stone door slowly rumbled open with all the speed and noise of, well, a multi-ton stone door.

I stepped through the door, where there were many more steam vents. I jumped off the steam vents, allowing me to cross over to a very neatly tiled area, somehow with all of the lights off. I dialed Alphys on the phone, while Chara packed herself back up into my necklace.

"Alphys?" I asked.

"Uh...why are the lights off?" she asked.

"I don't know, I got here and the lights were off." I replied. "Can you turn them on?"

"H-hold on...I'm accessing the power grid, and…"

Click. The lights turned on, revealing a cooking show set. And, of course, Mettaton.

"Oh no." Both of us groaned.

"OH, YES." Mettaton beeped, right in my ear.


	26. Chapter 23: Can You Really Call This a Show, I Didn't Even Get a Private Backstage or Anything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I hate Mettaton.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops. It got a little suggestive at the end. Doesn't warrant an upped rating, though.

### Chapter 23: Can You Really Call This a Show, I Didn't Even Get a Private Backstage or Anything

"Well, this is great." I had time to say, before Mettaton started doing his TV show host voice.

"Oh, yes it is most certainly great, my dear assistant today! Because YOU are my assistant on the cooking show, Cooking With a Killer Robot!" Well, at least he admitted he was possibly homicidal. Possibly. Maybe I should have restated that to "definitely."

"And today...we have a very, very special recipe! Today, we're baking...a cake!"

Good. That seemed pretty simple and non-lethal.

"And, my dear assistant," Mettaton said, poking my cheeks a few times, "for a cake, we'll need milk, sugar, eggs, and flour. Chop chop, this show's on a strict time limit!"

Ow. My cheeks. I ran around the kitchen, grabbing a carton of what probably was eggs, a bag of flour, a carton of milk, and a bag of sugar. I hurried back and put it down in front of Mettaton, who was impatiently tapping his...wheel against the floor. Yes, it looked exactly like how you thought. A box robot hopping around on the ground. It's a wonder how he didn't break the porcelain floor.

"Ah, yes, good job, assistant!" Mettaton praised. "Here, we have the flour, milk, sugar, and eggs, and…" He looked down at his recipe sheet, and looked back up. "Oh my. It appears we almost forgot about something! This recipe needs…a human soul."

There's the belligerent killbot. And there went me as well, trying to run out of the door. Unfortunately, an invisible barrier of force collided with my face, sprawling me on the floor. Mettaton stood over my head, brandishing a really big meat cleaver. Again I prepared my LOAD as I scooted away from the very deadly box, and I scooted into another barrier of force. Really with this?

Ring ring.

Mettaton stopped to push a button on his face to answer the call. Phew.

"Hello! Yes, this is Mettaton speaking!" Mettaton booped out. The voice that called back sort of calmed me down. Because that voice was Alphys.

"H-hi, Mettaton!" Alphys squeaked.

"Ah, hello, Alphys!" Mettaton beeped. "You're interrupting the show, make it quick!"

"Yeah...about that…" Alphys squeaked again. "...isn't there something else? Like a substitute?"

"Well…" Mettaton twirled around a few times on his wheels. "As a matter of fact, there is! Come with me, assistant."

Before I got up, he picked me up and threw me on top of his flat box head, sort of dragging me over to a kitchen cabinet, where he set me on my feet. Luckily I wasn't too badly hurt by him throwing me around. Although it did make my chest a little sore.

"See that can? That's a can of MTT-Brand Human Soul Substitute!" Mettaton pointed out. It was about the size of a can of tomato paste, except it had "HUMAN SOUL SUBSTITUTE" written on the front of it. I walked towards the can to grab it...and a rumbling sound stopped me.

What looked like one cabinet started piling up rapidly from the bottom, revealing itself to be two, three, four, ten, twenty, I-lost-count-amount of cabinets that must have extended itself up by at least half a mile or so. And I was supposed to grab it.

"Oh, and assistant, you have to get it in one minute! Otherwise, well...we'll go with the original plan!" Mettaton shouted into a megaphone, while flying around.

In one minute.

Screw Mettaton. How was I supposed to get up there? Climb?

Then my phone rang. Alphys was calling.

"Hey...um, I installed a function in your phone that turns it into a jet pack!" Alphys said before I could respond. "Just double-tap Jetpack Joyride while holding down the home button. I think it should work. I think." I did exactly that. For a second nothing happened. Then, my hand started buzzing with static, making me drop it, rubbing my hand.

Rather than break on the tile floor, the phone hit the ground, sprung back up, and turned into a wearable jetpack in a clashing ball of metal that stuck itself on me.

"Well, that's pretty cool." Chara muttered. "She better not have deleted my high scores, though."

There was no time to be concerned about the high score, though, as the jet pack emitted a quiet whine before hurtling me into the air.

* * *

It was a beautiful sensation, flying through the air.

The wind was whistling past me, tussling my hair and making me feel like I was standing on Ebott on a windy day. It was crisp and fresh, and despite the heat from Hotland, it simply caused a cycle of fresh air as the stale air at the bottom heated up and wafted upwards, letting the cold air flow down. Ah. A beautiful sensation. I felt jealous of the birds now, for being able to feel this wind-tossed freedom on a daily basis. And at this rate, I'd reach the soul substitute in way under a minute.

Splat.

The egg on my face, however, was a horrible sensation. Because this stupid robot kept throwing objects at me to slow me down from trying to reach the top to get this stupid little can of soul substitute.

"Argh!" I screamed, as I wiped a Grade A Cage-Free Large off my face, forcing me to slow down a little bit. I looked back up, just in time to dodge a large cloud of flour.

Mettaton kept throwing cake-making ingredients at me, such as the sugar and milk, the milk in large swaths and the sugar…

I spat as a one-ounce pack of sugar exploded next to my face, me barely dodging the sweet explosion, veering off to the side. There goes a precious few seconds. Halfway to the top, at least.

Meanwhile, Mettaton was too busy looking very pleased with himself and his scheme. He cackled in robotic laughter, flying around me and shouting how many seconds I had left. Chara frantically tried to point out where I should go, but there were two big issues with that: One, Chara was seeing through my eyes. Two, by the time she pointed it out, it was already on my face.

"Thirty seconds!" Mettaton boomed.

I looked up. I made the mistake of looking down. Wow, I was high up. I wasn't too afraid of heights, but looking down was not good for my sense of vertigo. At least I knew I was a good margin beyond halfway. Until a sugar packet caught me on the back of my neck.

"Twenty seconds!"

Don't look down. Focus on the objects that are about to hit you. Focus on those eggs, focus on the flour, focus on the-

"Milk on the left!" Chara psionically shouted, as a freezing slap of 1% milk hit me. Dang. I was doing so well, too.

"Ten seconds!"

I could see the top of the tower now. Almost there.

"Nine!"

Mettaton threw a crate of eggs at me, which I nimbly dodged.

"Eight!"

Two sugar packets flew past my head.

"Seven!"

A hole in a swath of milk allowed me to just barely slip through.

"Six!"

Why was I doing this again? There's no point to this. Then I realized Mettaton was a murder-robot running a show. Expected, I guess.

"Five!"

A puff of flour hit me on the face, making me cough and sputter. I should pay more attention to the "how am I going to live" rather than "what's the point of all of this."

"Four!"

But then again, I wasn't too concerned about dying, unless it involved me being comatose beforehand. I could SAVE and LOAD.

"Three!"

Still, as I thought back to Undyne, death hurt like a bitch. I recalled the spears skewering my body, ripping through flesh and spirit alike. The burning sensation. The feeling of my life slipping away.

"Two!"

I suddenly realized I was off track. I frantically righted myself, applied maximum power, and zoomed for the top.

"One!"

Right there.

There was that dumb can of soul substitute. I rushed up, and there I grabbed the can of...bitter lemon soul substitute. Still sounded disgusting, but I at least my triumph made me feel better.

"Take that, Mettaton! Now I've got the can of soul substitute!" I shouted back at the dumb box. I would have slung a choice bunch of insults at him as well, Chara definitely edging towards it, but I held my tongue as the camera trained on me. Would have to wait another day.

Mettaton only shook his box body around in a look of disapproval.

"Darling, darling, darling. You really know nothing, do you?"

"Huh?" I asked. I checked all around my feet, but only found the stack of cabinets lowering, Mettaton hovering in front of my face.

"Do you even know how cooking shoes work, my assistant?" he said, arm mock-wrapped around my shoulder.

"Yeah, the chefs cook the food in front of the camera," I replied, "but since they realistically can't possibly devote all the time to cooking the food…"

I didn't need to finish that to prove my own idiocity. Of course there would be the pre-cooked food! That's how they always do it in front of live TV audiences! The chefs pre-cook the food and put it in the oven to keep warm!

Mettaton confirmed it by opening the oven door. Inside was a very warm-looking cake, and very anger-inducing. He waved his hands in front of it in a very taunting manner.

"And now," Mettaton addressed, "this concludes this show! Toodles!"

With that, he flew away.

Damn robot.

I debated going back for the cake, walking onwards in Hotland when the camera went away. Chara decided to rejoin me in the realm of the semi-corporeal. We looked back, and forwards, before deciding to go back to pick up some food.

As expected, there was that cake Mettaton had in the oven. It was warm and it looked decent, so we both tried it out. We took a bite and instantly our mouths were full of a clash of disgusting bitter-sweet lemon and whole wheat flour. We forcefully swallowed the first bite, and, well, we hoped the magma was hungry. We moved on to the fridge next.

Treasure of treasures, there was a can of Reddi-whip in the fridge.

Hoo boy.

I'm sure it's written somewhere in some holy text, or some commandment of angels to capable adult guardians, "Do not let two unsupervised children have access to a full can of Reddi-whip." And at the moment, that holy commandment was being violated.

The moment I saw the door open and the red cap glisten in the condensation and the fridge light, I grabbed it, flipped the cap off, and filled my mouth with the glorious brand of whipped cream. Except I accidentally made the mistake of breathing in while consuming it, giving me a lungful of...something that made me feel incredibly giddy. All the colors in the kitchen suddenly seemed brighter, and the sounds seemed a little muffled.

"Whoa." I mumbled, mouth full of whipped cream, and stumbled a bit, can of whipped cream clattering on the floor. There was a distinct something that goes into whipped cream propellant...something...something oxide. I couldn't think too straight.

Chara laughed. "Did you inhale the whipped cream?" she asked. I nodded as best as I could.

"It's just laughing gas, Frisk. You'll be fine." Saying that, she snatched up the can of whipped cream and ate a whole mouthful of it as well. "Mmm."

I took back the canister and tried to get another mouthful of whipped cream, but I accidentally missed my mark and dumped a load of it on my face. Great, now I had a heaping load of cream on top of my nose. I decided I had enough fun with the whipped cream while Chara snorted in laughter at my plight, and packed it into the bag, while I tried to wipe off the rest of that pile of cream, while Chara tried some of the whipped cream with cake. And, as she threw that into the pits of magma below, I could infer that it didn't work very well together.


	27. Chapter 24: The Paradox Machine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A stable paradox? And I'm supposed to go in there?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Growing slowly closer to the end.

### Chapter 24: The Paradox Machine

"Hm…" Chara's brow furrowed in a strange look of concern and disapproval.

"What's wrong?" I asked. She'd done that thing at least five to six times already in the span of five minutes.

"Mmh…" Chara pointed in the distance. I looked where she was pointing, far off in the distance. I saw nothing but blackness.

"What's there?" I asked.

"Do you not see it?"

"I see...blackness." I replied. "And magma. But mostly blackness."

This prompted Chara to walk up to my face, almost breathing on me. Before I had a chance to react, she angrily grabbed the sides of my face, squishing my cheeks together. She then stood to the left of me, jerking my face towards hers, cranking my neck around to face towards the darkness, while slowly moving me forwards.

"Eh?" I tried to say.

"Look." Chara whispered. "Look."

Still blackness.

"There's literally nothing but black, Chara." I answered.

This prompted Chara to take one hand off of my face and point into the darkness, which I focused on. Was I looking at the wrong place? Was I supposed to be looking against the cavern, or the magma? I glanced at the smooth stone of the caverns, the metallic sheen-

That wasn't there before.

Some strange metallic pole was jutting out of the lava, dimly lit by the lava's warm orange glow. It didn't follow the natural laws of perspective, nor did it seem real in a sense. It seemed to distort both itself and the world around it, turning big like I was right next to it, and then for a moment seeming incredibly small, like I was a mile away from it.

And just like that, with the blink of an eye, when my mind registered that metallic pole, something, a mental key maybe, clicked itself into the lock of the universe. Maybe my brain finally wrapped itself around the concept of such an object. Maybe the object had some...sentience to it, and when it realized I saw a part of it, the object didn't see a point in hiding itself with...whatever it was.

The way it revealed itself was...indescribable. Not revolting or anything, just difficult to put into words. A decloak, like something you see from sci-fi, would be the simplest way to describe it, but it wouldn't capture how it suddenly made an imprint on my mind that "yes, this exists" or how when I did realize it existed, the strange burning ember feeling on my chest came back, glowing like a log in a campfire. The closest way I could describe it would be akin to the universe finally loading in such a behemoth of metal and steam in for me, after spending hours trying to resolve how it worked.

And the behemoth of metal was massive. Wait...was it metal? For a second, it looked like it was made out of glass. Pure glass. Then, it was metal again, but not the dull gray steel it once was, rather, it was copper. Then, as I watched, the material kept shifting, churning, from ice, to wool, to stone, to wood, to obsidian, to lava, to iron, to PVC plastic, at one point even just transforming into transparency, seeable only by the distortions it made on the world, as if turning into a transparent superheated gas of some sort.

As for why the metal behemoth wasn't described yet, well...it was hard to describe as well, mostly because its shape kept shifting. It was a mess of tubing and haphazardly riveted metal plates, it was a circular particle collider, it was a perfectly smooth cube.

"That wasn't there before." Chara remarked.

"Yeah, it wasn't." I replied.

" **I see you've found it."** A voice we hadn't heard from in a very, very long time observed. We both turned around.

"Hey, Gaster." I said.

" **Chara. Do you know what this is?"** he asked.

Chara stared for a good ten minutes, seemingly comprehending the strange, glitchy construct of...I found myself at a loss of words for what was before me. Finally, she shook her head.

" **It's better you don't know, then."** Gaster answered.

"Why?" she asked.

" **This is the Core. It was…"** he paused. " **My greatest gamble. The greatest work I have produced, yet always existing to taunt me of my failures. This was supposed to be monsterkind's key to freedom. We were faced with a wall that we could neither dig under, climb over, or break through. So instead, I questioned whether we needed to touch the wall in the first place."**

"So you built an actual anomaly." Chara remarked. "You built a theoretically impossible paradox machine."

" **Correct. I tried to instead bend the world to my will, and in doing so, I fell into what you see before you, still unstable and unfinished. The result is what you see here."** Gaster gestured to his form, his weird shadowy body. " **I should, in theory, not be alive. My soul should have been consumed by the anomaly, and my dust should have become part of it. But this is a story for another time, children."**

Chara rolled her eyes at that. "Pff. Child."

Gaster paid no attention to it. " **At the entrance to the Core, Sans is waiting for you. I have not spoken with him yet, and I think I would rather not."**

As normal, Gaster melted away into shadow.

"Wait!" I shouted. "We're supposed to go into that?"

"Yeah, I'm sure heading into a glitch in the universe is fine for our health. Perfectly fine and safe!" Chara shouted after him as well. "Dammit, Gaster." she muttered. "Well, Asgore's castle should be on the other side of that...thing."

* * *

As it turned out, the Core's distortions on the world weren't only limited on the area in space it occupied, though I wasn't too sure if it really did occupy real space. The cavern surrounding the Core was warped into strange, alien shapes, turned from ordinary cavern wall into tendrils of stone, swirling and jabbing towards the Core, as if trying to destroy the anomalous building, but none could get close enough to even touch it. The monsters built long, tube-like shafts with what appeared to be elevator pods going in between them to traverse this landscape, but other than the areas smoothed out, supported by thin metal struts, and the shafts, the area surrounding the Core was impassable, marked further only by a loud BOOM once every minute or so, as the Core threw out a bolt of energy and destroyed a tendril too close to it, only for the tendril to piece its fallen rocks together, the rubble rising back out of the lava to rejoin the stump, seamlessly repairing itself.

We traveled up one such winding tendril of stone, the elevators buzzing and whirring around inside of the tubes. Chara called one of the elevators, and in a few seconds, a pod whooshed up to us. When we were inside, an array of floor buttons were present to us, with a convenient map of the Core's surrounding area...graffiti'ed on, with the words "HEATS FLAMESMAN WAS HERE" written on it in obnoxious neon green paint.

So we had to instead resort to cycling through all of the buttons one by one, exploring each area as it came. Luckily the monsters only really cared about six spots in the hundreds of tendrils. A few brave souls decided to live on some very precarious-looking stone structures, but those were few and far in between. We decided that we would simply just make our way around to every single elevator there was, as most of the elevators, from the outside, seemed to connect in pairs. We started with a button labeled "R2."

Bip.

Whirr.

A sound system played "It's Not Unusual" as a bit of elevator music. Given the Core, there couldn't be a more ironically titled song playing. Although, if I lived near the Core, I probably would be used to the odd phenomena exhibited by it.  
Ping!

The elevator door opened to reveal Sans sitting at a hot dog stand, selling what looked like corn dogs and hot dogs. There was one of those mini-volcano looking monsters, sitting very happily with a hot dog stuck in its spout, some other flying monster carrying away three hot dogs as well. Sans, being Sans, looked at us and winked. Naturally, us being us, we walked over. He greeted us while handing out hot dogs, taking some coins and bills as payment.

"hey, kid. wanna buy a hot dog?" he asked.

Not trusting him, Chara asked, "Can I see one?"

Sans shrugged his shoulders, and from below the counter, he took out a hot dog. "sorry, kid. no touching. you know, food handling laws and all that." But it didn't take poking around to notice…

"Is that a water sausage in a bun? Did you literally just lop the heads off cattails and put them in a bun?" Chara asked. Sans only tapped the pricing sign. On it, there was written, "WATER SAUSAGE - 30G" with a little leaf next to it, denoting a "vegetarian" option. Well, he wasn't doing false advertising.

"well, ya gonna buy one or no?" Sans asked.

I looked in our bags. As I expected, they were filled to the brim with Sea Teas, at Chara's intent, and the fact that they did in fact make me more light on my feet, which helped me not get killed.

"Sorry, Sans, but we're carrying too much already." I answered.

"aw. well, this one's on the house, so…" Sans looked around for a nice place to put it, before stacking it on my head. "now it's on you."

I just stared at Sans. Why. Why do this to me.

"hey, if you want, i can give ya more 'dogs. yeah, apostrophe dogs." Sans offered. "on me, of course."

Sure, why the heck not. This place was weird enough already. I agreed. Chara took out our cell phone and started recording, while Sans threw off his jacket, leaving only his white T-Shirt on. He gently threw a second hot dog on the top of my head, stacking it perfectly.

The weight on my head started off quite light with the first few hot dogs, as each one barely weighed anything.

But by the fifth hot dog, the pressure to keep my head perfectly straight was starting to make me strain a little.

"Can't you go any faster?" I asked Sans. He only chuckled as he sped up by a little.

By the tenth hot dog, my neck was getting a bit sore as the hot dogs started weighing a good few pounds. When we got to the twentieth, my neck was tense and aching from both the weight of twenty hot dogs, as well as the fact I was straining my mech for a good minute or so. Sans had to start crouching down to lob them up to the top, somehow miraculously landing them.

"twenty seven, twenty eight, and...twenty nine." Sans took a step back and wiped his imaginary brow.

"No thirty?" Chara asked.

"nah. can't throw that high. besides," he gestured at me, "frisk here looks like her neck's gonna give."

I took this chance to tilt my head over, sending a pile of water sausages piling on top of a small airplane with anime girl hair, who squeaked about how gross it was, turned tail, and flew away to the other side of the cavern.

"ah, tsundereplanes." Sans remarked. "nice customers, though they're prickly as a cactus."

"So, uh…" I interrupted, carefully stretching my neck out, "Gaster said you were here to help us?"

"oh, nah. this isn't the spot." he answered. "gaster meant all the way up there."

Sans pointed far up into the distance, up at a funny shape stuck onto the Core. "that's the hotel. see ya up there, kiddos."

And, in the blink of an eye, he vanished, leaving us with a trek up the sides of the cavern.

Well, time to get going. We picked our bags off the floor and started our trek around the elevators.


	28. Chapter 25: This Place Really Grinds My Gears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What does Mettaton even WANT???? Jeez, he's the most annoying monster in the Underground!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More distance to go. Keep pushing on.

### Chapter 25: This Place Really Grinds My Gears

We continued after Sans's Dog-Stacking Adventure to make our way around one of the tendrils of stone, running into a series of switches next to a conveyor belt.

My phone buzzed. Alphys was calling.

"Hello?" I answered.

"H-hey, Frisk." Alphys said. "Um...you see those switches? Hit all three of them and you'll be able to deactivate that barrier on the other end."

Seemed simple enough. I closed the call, hopped on the conveyor belt, and started flipping switches. One...two…

I almost threw my phone into the magma as my hands fumbled for it as Chara smacked the third button for me. "Hello?" I answered, again. It's became a bit of a greeting for me.

"H-hit the third button!" Alphys said. Then realized Chara already hit it. "Oh, uh...never mind then!" she said as the barrier deactivated. "Guess, you, uh...better get going!"

She hung up on us this time, as a notification popped up for me that said, "lmao epic failed last puzzle - not gonna help the human anymore RIP" from Alphys.

I couldn't help but let out a long, audible sigh, continuing on through our stone tendril adventure. Two Royal Guards walked right past us both, as they idly chatted about a human with a striped shirt, singular. They took a look at us both and muttered something about how I looked like the human. Then the one with the longer helmet told his partner off, saying "the human's alone."

Well, whoever told them who I was, was horribly misinformed. And they really did not know what the heck they were doing.

"Halt, citizen." One of them commanded. We stopped. "This area is strictly off-limits. We've been told there is a dangerous human in the area. Come with us and we'll escort you back."

Chara looked a little confused, while my mind started racing through the options. "But you can't." I replied.

The guard stopped. "Why?" he asked.

"Because we…" I took a little while to search my mind for options. "Because we have to get to the Core. To the MTT Resort."

If Chara was impressed by my quick thinking, she didn't show it. "The...Resort?" the guards asked. "It's expensive...and if you miss your reservation, there's no refunds…"

They let us pass with no further delay, calling us both "little missuses." At least they tried their hand at chivalry. A for effort. C for calling us "missuses." Because both of us were sweaty and quite frankly miserable, smelling like hot dogs, very much not lady-like. Although, to dog monsters, we would have smelled amazing. So, if they were dogs under those thick suits of armor, that score turns to an A.

Chara, once out of earshot, pat my shoulder while we waked and said, "Nice move." Hey, gotta be good at something at least.

My phone started buzzing in my pocket. I picked it up while walking. "Hello?" I asked. Third time today.

It was, again, Alphys. "Don't walk forwards!" she shouted.

"Uh...why?" I asked.

She barely had time to yell, "METTATON!" before a barrier of force closed behind me, trapping me and Chara in a large cube.

Oh great.

Old-school Breaking News beeping started echoing through the cavern as Mettaton's voice blared through some speakers mounted on the large metal struts.

"And welcome audience, to MTT news!" his voice echoed. I looked around for him. On top of the big box, Mettaton was sitting there with a green cardboard cutout, emulating a budget green screen. He could probably process all of that in his ridiculous box face. Probably. He might lag out and overheat in the middle, something that probably would be a little amusing. But would also be really disturbing. Maybe.

But it also meant I was on another one of Mettaton's TV shows. And by the rule of correlation that probably meant I run the risk of death. Not that I already ran the risk of death just by being near the Core in general. Even when I walked around there were bolts of energy that leapt dangerously close to where I was. And I certainly did not want to figure out what happened to a human that gets time-rewinded by the Core's strange magic. Or anything alive, for that matter.

And it certainly didn't stop Mettaton's talking. "And here we have our reporter, out in the field!" Oh. He must mean me. Although Chara was very visible. That was a bit odd. Did cameras not pick up Chara or something? I took out my cell phone to look at Chara with the camera, inciting a remark from Mettaton about how hard at work I was. But the thing that mattered more was that Chara was completely invisible on camera.

Huh.

"Chara." I whispered to her. "You're invisible to Mettaton."

"Good." she said. I swear I saw mischief in her eyes.

Just for science, I took a picture of Chara's location with my phone, though I didn't see her. Suddenly, she appeared perfectly in the image, sitting cross-legged on the floor, not paying attention to Mettaton's yammering…

"Reporter? Hello? Studio to reporter?" Mettaton called. "It appears our reporter is a bit absent-minded today. Could she be sleepy? She's so dedicated to her work that she doesn't even sleep much anymore!"

I sleep a fair amount, thank you. Sometimes, as people complain, almost too much. Though lately after, you know...siblings dying, then coming back to life, then me having a close brush with death, it's been much harder to sleep.

"What?" I shouted at Mettaton.

"Good! So our reporter isn't completely zoned out!" Mettaton replied. "Now, reporter, can you get us a story for our news show? We're running a little bit late here!"

Well. He probably wasn't letting me out unless if I humored him...again. Darn. I begrudgingly decided to look around, checking for things to report. There was a book, a basketball, a script, a random glass of water, a freaking dog, and a game called Under...what? Under-something. I couldn't make it out from how far away I was. I walked a little more towards the game and picked it up, Chara walking right behind me.

I picked up the little black box that the game was in and took a closer look. The box was labeled, "Under Your Feet."

Who names a game like that? Needless to say, I checked under my feet. What was underneath my feet was...a ticking timer.

"Oh, my!" Mettaton declared. "It appears that our reporter here has found a game! And something else…but anyways! This game was the Game of the Year! An absolute bombshell!"

To brush the soil a little better, I dropped the game case, which fell open at my feet. Inside wasn't a CD-ROM or a download code or anything. It was a ticking timer and a grayish-white lump with a stick jutting out of it. I've watched enough Mythbusters to know what it was. It was a lump of C4, and although I didn't know where Mettaton got the C4 from, I still threw it at the nearest ledge, where it didn't travel the full distance and only landed with a soft whump. Well, I tried.

Mettaton did his best to feign shock when the case opened to reveal the bomb.

"Wait...that's actually a bomb! Oh no!" he shouted, mock freaking out as he threw away his cardboard cutout green screen. "And not just that, either!"

Wait, there was more bombs? That question was answered as Mettaton flew down and...started ripping objects open. Revealing, yes, more bombs.

"The basketball's a bomb!" Mettaton yelled, as he ripped the top of the basketball off.

"The book's a bomb!" Mettaton opened up the book, revealing dynamite inside of a hollow space.

"The dog is a bomb!" Mettaton...slapped the dog on the butt, and the tail ignited. Questionable design...but now wasn't the time to worry about dog-slapping. Or the fact Chara had a nice giggle over that one. Or why she looked so calm.

"Even my words are…" Mettaton threw a shower of bang snaps, crackling all over the ground. Some of them burned me when they hit my head. Ow.

"And, brave reporter, if you don't defuse them all in two minutes…" he flew a little closer to the ground, blowing away a huge cloud of dust, revealing a really big bomb with a timer on it. "...this big bomb will explode! Ta-ta!"

And Mettaton, as always, flew off to a safe location. Leaving me with a bunch of bombs. And no method of escape, again.

And just then, my phone suddenly dinged with a new text message. From Alphys, at least.

"Your camera app comes with a new Bomb Defusal feature," it read. I wasn't sure how that worked. But I opened up the camera and found the setting for Bomb Defusal, which had a very neat instruction, "Place the timer of the bomb in the camera square." Hacking? Probably. Again, not the time for questions. There was a very bouncy basketball bomb bouncing around, a book and script, a dog, a glass of water flying around, and the game, which should have been…

It wasn't there.

I ran towards the nearest bomb, looking for where the game could have gone. Farther off in the distance, I spotted the game dangling from the air by what was probably a fishing line or something. Pausing to take a breather, because of how short of breath I was currently, I reached the dog, camera already out. The dog was napping, but when I started ruffling through its fur, it instantly bolted up, running around my legs in circles, barking at me.

"Chara!" I yelled. "A little help here?"

I tried to grab the dog and pin it to the floor, but it dodged around me, being a very annoying dog. Chara, however, was too busy trying to track down the extremely agile glass of water. So I was alone with this dog problem.

I tried to chase the stupid dog down, which only earned me a few times falling flat on my face as the dog bolted off, then ran towards me, tripping me over. Finally I gave up as I sat still and let the dog come to me, where I in a swift motion grabbed the dog by the neck, where my fingers found a hard object that was the timer. I quickly pulled out the phone and clicked the camera on the timer, where the dog suddenly slumped over and turned inert. Apparently it was a robo-dog programmed to be really annoying. Which was very, very, successful in doing so. Because there was only a minute and thirty seconds left. And Chara was still trying to jump on the water, looking somewhat like a cat trying to catch a bird or a butterfly.

I tried my best to sprint for the next nearest bomb, which was the script. There was a pretty clear route I should take, at least. Much like the script bomb, as I quickly discovered, the timer lazily stuck on the first page.

Next was...the book bomb. Again, I ran for it, again having to take a breather. Having one lung sucked. Literally, because I was constantly taking doses of Alphys' aerosol spray she gave me. And again, the book bomb was trivial, the timer glued on the spine. At least it wasn't a very good book.

Now was the game bomb, dangling by a fishing string. I took another breather just before I took it on. It dangled over some conveyor belts, and I lunged for the game bomb as I let the conveyor do the walking for me, grabbing it off the fishing line. Again, a trivial bomb. Open it up...and it was anything but trivial. In fact, it was a thing with a Simon Says game stuck on it, and a note that said, "Pass 4 rounds to get the timer."

Screw that.

I put my foot on the game box, grabbed a random rock, and smashed the plastic cover of the Simon Says right off, revealing a small timer. A quick usage of the bomb defusal function rendered the game bomb defused. See? Trivial. Unlike Chara's flying cup of water problem.

I ran for the basketball next, which I easily caught and defused after holding it down. Because there was something in it that made it struggle in my grip.

"Hey, Frisk! I think I got it!" Chara shouted, tackling the water to the ground when it came a little too close. The defusal after that was easy. And all bombs were defused, two seconds to spare. Whew.

Mettaton came floating down, looking about as grumpy as a metal box could.

"Well, well, well. Looks like you've, 'beat' me this time." Mettaton growled. Yes, it was, and is, possible for robots to growl. Case in point, him right now. "And as always, with Doctor Alphys."

"Yes, yes we have." I said, triumphant. "And now, with your big bomb inactive, whatever your plan is, is over." Hey, I had to give the audience something.

Mettaton only shook his entire body, a sort of "head-shake," I guess. "Dearie, dearie. Don't you know the basics behind every well-engineered bomb?"

"I'll admit, I don't." I replied. Because I didn't make bombs. "That doesn't stop me from defusing yours!"

"Now, now. Riddle me this. Why do houses have back doors?" Mettaton asked.

"To...get in from the back." I replied. Then it clicked. And it was only confirmed when Mettaton held up a button on a stick, attached to a wire. Of course he would! He put a redundant detonator in his big bomb. Which only confirmed that he was indeed out to kill me.

"And now…" Mettaton exclaimed, "the bomb's not gonna explode in two minutes. No, it'll explode in two seconds! Two, one." I accepted my fate as he pressed the switch.

And pressed it again.

Click.

Click.

Clickclickclickclickclick.

"Why isn't it working?" Mettaton asked. Little did he know, behind him was Chara, who managed to cut the wire in half with a sharp piece of rock. And the timer was off. Whew. I gave Chara a "thank-you" look.

And just then, Mettaton's face buzzed, exactly like a phone on vibrate. He turned one of his face's knobs to respond to the call. "Hello, Alphys! You're interrupting the show!"

"Or," Alphys proclaimed, "maybe I just changed it. Because I hacked the big bomb while you were messing around for two minutes!"

"Well, well, well then, human." Mettaton turned towards me. "Looks like you've won the day with the help of Doctor Alphys yet again. Well, with this done, and the trap disabled, there's nothing left here! Toodles!" And, as Mettaton always did, he flew off, leaving us with nothing. Well, nothing except the fact that the cube of force fields went down, allowing me and Chara to safely walk to the next elevator.


	29. Chapter 26: Dance of the Spider

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, more like "Spider dances around me, I get beaten half to death in usual fashion."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The time is running short.  
> (I'm also planning on writing a sort of off-shoot, I guess, called Author's Note, where I commentate on the development, creation, and chapters of A Story of Me, Frisk. There's a lot I want to say, but...I'm not one for author's notes inside of a work. I feel like those belong elsewhere. A draft or something, maybe.)

### Chapter 26: Dance of the Spider 

I found myself stuck in a strange, sticky, web with this spider woman in front of me. This seemed to be a bit of a trend; every once in a while I meet a monster or two that knows what a human looks like. Those monsters are always out to kill me. And this one was no different as she threw magically conjured spiders at me, laughing about payment or something and the spider nation. Also bakery pastries.

Normally I liked a good croissant or doughnut, but the amount she threw at me was getting out of hand. Especially because her croissants were also in a sense boomerangs about as hard as rocks. Yes, apparently weaponized bakery products existed. And, as a baguette nailed me in the head due to a bad dodge, I had to confirm that, yes, weaponized bakery products hurt. Very much.

So how did I end up getting pummeled by a spider lady with weaponized bakery products? Well…

* * *

Chara and I set off again after the Mettaton bomb threat fiasco, towards the next elevator.

Well, we tried. Because there was a strange, warped serpentine-like goo monster in our way. The strange monster seemed to warp, like the Core, taking on an elusive physical shape, one moment looking straight at me, the next wrapped around my body, the next bent into a strange shape, then, returning to normal, before warping into other strange contorted shapes. And when it spoke, it didn't comfort me by much.

_“Are you the on-o-oness Gaster wan-wa-want-wantssss?”_ the monster more...telepathically projected into my mind than spoke, in a hissing tone. Judging by Chara’s slight look of both horror and recognition, I guess she also heard its voice and recognized it.

“Roberts?” Chara asked. “Is that you?”

_“M-my n-na-n-designation is u-un-unimp-portant. I-I do not n-need a na-name any longer. I a-am na-namelessss. Er-era-erased.”_ the monster stuttered and hissed out. _“Th-there is n-no more Ro-robertsss. N-no m-more S-Sssuzy. No mor-more Wi-willia-William. No mo-ore Ray. All. All of usssss ha-ave forgotten. Only shadowssss remain.”_

“Wait,” Chara asked. “Why? What are you talking about?”

The monster seemed to, in its shifting forms, on average sink down a little. _“Cur-currently only ta-task at hand. Can-cannot tell. On-only messssenger now. Fr-from Gassster.”_

“What is the message?” Chara asked.

_“Te-tell Sansssss to bri-ing yo-you back to the la-ab. Take hisss notebook. Fi-find Ssssuzy. Sssshheee isss the ke-ey to your ha-happy-appinesssss.”_

There was silence for a while. Which lab was Roberts talking about? Alphys’ lab? But Chara seemed to know. Again. “Thank you, Roberts.”

Roberts faded away into shadow, while Chara quipped, “Always duty before chitchat, that guy. Wonder what could have caused...that.”

“You know him?” I asked.

“Yeah.” Chara sighed. “In a past life, I guess.”

* * *

The elevator trip was once again uneventful. Again with the vandalized map, again with the music, though this time it was Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley. So, as both of us groaned because we just essentially got rickrolled, the elevator moved up towards the peak of Hotland. It chucked us out onto the platforms above the Core, the steel channeling magma from the core of the Earth.

There was also a little gray monster off to the side, with his legs off the steel, who Chara seemed to recognize. “Ray! What happened to the lab team?” she asked.

_“Ray…?”_ he half-rasped, half-whispered. _“I haven’t hhhheard that name in a long time…I’ve been forgotten...by them all...except the lab team...”_

The little gray monster’s form flickered, like he was a candle about to be snuffed out. I reached out a hand to try and comfort him, but it went right through.

Ray smiled a sad smile at me. _“Please...don't try. It's a waste of energy.”_

Ray looked at Chara and her confusion about everything. _“Oh, right...you don't know. The Core...it was based off of you...”_

Chara looked dumbfounded as she just emitted a single, “What.”

_“The Core...the Doctor...he...tried to free us all…he failed.”_

Ray flickered, once, twice, then he was gone.

“But...I didn’t do any work...” Chara whispered.

The silence following seemed to last for eons as only the lava flowing through channels beneath our feet hummed. It was pretty hard to believe. Okay, maybe Chara’s a century-old ghost that so happened to possess the dead body of my brother. Then possessed my necklace when he died. In that light, maybe it was a little more possible, then…

That still doesn't mean Chara could have been the one to build...whatever that was. That strange glitch of a Core. Was Chara that smart? I wasn’t sure. Chara was quite a good margin smarter than I was during the time she was Jeffrey. But this took a whole different plane of thinking, at the very least. At worst...insanity. Brr. We kept walking, uncomfortable thoughts weighing on our minds.

There was at least a bake sale to the side. Run by this...spider lady.

Yes, the exact same one.

“Yoo hoo, dearies!” she shouted. “Care for some baked treats? By spiders, for spiders, and of spiders!” I’m pretty sure she just implied that these were made out of spiders. Certainly didn't help with the unsettling feeling that Ray’s words gave us. Out of politeness, maybe, we checked her prices and goods.

Well, her one price. Which was a wallet-busting 9,999 monster gold. Which this one monster to the side apparently paid, and now he was sadly staring at his 9,999 gold donut. “It’s...just a normal donut…” he whispered.

We decided not to buy the donuts.

Carrying on towards the MTT resort, which was directly above the Core, we found yet another maze of steam vents, with a puzzle room to the left, and a series of conveyors to the right. A big door blocked the middle.

After a little bit of majestically sailing through the air like an eagle piloting a blimp on the Steam Vent Airlines, we ended up at the puzzle room. Which was another one of those spaceship-cubeshooting puzzles. I went to go solve it, but Chara stopped me, saying, “Let me try something.”

Then she confirmed that, yes, randomly smashing around random machine parts in a box could potentially create a working machine. Or in this case, smashing a joystick around in a game leading to the solution.

Back aboard the Steam Vent Airlines, we hopped over to the weird conveyor belts. It was another asteroid puzzle.

Again I let Chara lazily brute-force-smash-the-joystick-street-fighter-style her way through the puzzle. The machine sighed out our victory, as we cackled our way back to the center via conveyor belt. There was also a cactus in bloom off the side.

We stopped to smell the flowers.

Then we continued on through the doors...into spider infestation.

In hindsight, I should have ran. Just run the other way, nope away. Because that entire hall was spider web, spider web, spider web. It was like the nest of one of those spiders that just build a huge tunnel of silk.

Except evidently this was made to catch humans, not bugs. But some latent insanity kept us walking, hawking at the webs here and there. Until we got our feet stuck in one. Then it wasn't cool anymore. Though, the relative coolness of the entire situation is debateable. Still, we tried to trudge forwards, until our feet were wrapped in strand upon strand of spider silk.

“Ehuhuhu…” a voice called out.

Yes, it was the same voice as that bakery lady.

We stopped in our tracks.

“I hear someone here hates spiders…”

Wasn’t me. I leave them be.

“I hear someone likes to stomp on them...that person likes to rip their little legs out and make them suffer…”

It wasn’t me. Though, Chara paled a little. I just looked at her. She looked back. “Don’t ask.” she mouthed.

“I hear that person is a little stingy with their money…” the spider lady walked out onto another platform of silk. Both of us were sweating. Why was Chara sweating? She wasn't the one who didn't buy anything from her. Then I realized how much Chara stretches her dollars when we had to spend money for anything. Hoo boy. There probably was something else deeper as well, more engrained into her older memories. But the spider lady didn't stop talking.

“I hear someone will pay us a loooot of money for this spider-hater’s soul. Now, dearie.” She giggled. “Let’s dance.”

* * *

And so here we were, me getting pelted by weaponized bakery products. No time to think as another donut clubbed me in the head. And now I couldn't think if I wanted to. And as I slowly lost energy as well, apparently those bakery products were also magical weapons.

I couldn't dodge even if I wanted. I was stuck in some webs, and all I could do is just sort of half-hop around. My necklace was glowing purple, and I realized that this spider lady, who introduced herself as Muffet, as four arms chucked bread rolls at me, was also restricting...that magic in my necklace. And she was laughing about it.

This was not how you do business.

“Oh, I almost forgot!” Muffet said. She stopped throwing food for a second. “I still have to feed my little pet.”

I couldn't “take” another...whatever she was talking about. I reached into my bag, hopefully trying to find some food or drink I could eat to heal myself a little. I found that old spider donut, with the little receipt that came for it. Wait…

“Muffet!” I shouted.

“Oh? You want mercy?” she taunted. “Well, you won’t-”

“No!” I yelled, holding up the receipt. “I have a proof of purchase!”

“What is this?” she asked, coming to pick it out of my hand. “A receipt…from the spiders in the Ruins? Well…” she rolled up the receipt and put on a nice, bright smile. “This seems to be one big misunderstanding! You can't possibly be the human, you like spiders!”

She clapped her hands, and a swarm of spiders undid the silk that was stuck all over my feet. And Chara’s feet as well. When the spiders were done with their task, Muffet walked away, turning around to say, “You’re welcome in my parlor any time, dearie.”

I wasn't planning on coming back.

Walking onwards, there was a movie poster for some Mettaton thing.

And a Mettaton.

“Human. You’re late for my latest, grandest masterpiece: A tragic tale between two lovers!”

Save me from this hell.


	30. Chapter 27: I'm Frisk, Not Juliet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What IS the truth behind Chara, anyways?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Deeper, yet deeper. The mysteries begin to resolve. The end...is approaching.

### Chapter 27: I'm Frisk, not Juliet

"So, this is on short notice, but you know how it goes, right?" Mettaton asked. At least he was asking this time. Not like I could escape, either. Those weird walls of force were up. "I dance, and sing, and you sit there and look pretty. Not that you already aren't, love."

I groaned. I'll have to add "Got flirted with by a robot" on my list of accomplishments. Chara started howling in laughter from my pain.

I was getting real tired of this shit. "Alright," I said. "I don't even want-"

"OKAY, YOU GET THE IDEA. NOW COME ON, THE SHOW WAITS FOR NO ONE!" Mettaton yelled, scooting off.

It's not like I even had a choice. I couldn't not walk through his stage, as I looked in front of me. It spanned the entire hallway.

I sighed, and walked out into the lights, Chara close behind. The stage was set up as a sort of a courtyard, though lacking the plants.

And then, Mettaton's annoying, synthesized Microsoft Sam voice.

"Oh? Is that…my one true love?"

I sighed. And looked at Mettaton. He was wearing this weird tux that somehow fit over his ridiculous box-body.

"She seems to be so tired...maybe I'll sing to her, to cheer her up!"

And then, like some crazy musical, he broke out into song.

"Oh my love/Please run away/Monster King/Forbids your stay…"

Yeah, that was obvious.

"Humans must/Live far apart/Even if/It breaks my heart…"

Even though I hated this, I had to applaud him for being able to improv a little. Me acting all mopey and everything had to not be in the original script.

"They'll put you/In the dungeon…"

Wait. Dungeon?

"It'll suck…"

Yeah, that was obvious. Why was I not informed of this dungeon?

"And then you'll die a lot…"

Okay, nope. I edged away, but a barrier of force stopped me.

"Really sad/You're gonna die/Cry cry cry/So sad it's happening…"

I merely accepted my fate as Mettaton shouted, "Well, then. Off to the dungeon with you!"

He pushed a button on his face, and a trap door beneath me opened.

* * *

I didn't scream when I fell. I was surprised, sure. But either I was resigned to this bullshit or I was too surprised at this method of falling. The former option brought back memories.

Unlike my other falls, I landed with a nice _whump._ Mettaton hovered down while I got up. There was a colored tile maze in front of me.

"Now, human. Now you must run through this colored tile maze, or be burned by a wall of fire!" A bunch of flamethrowers behind me let out a gout of flame with a _whoosh._ As always, the very lethal things. "You only have a minute! Ta-ta!"

I decided I was done with Mettaton's antics, and I just took a rest on the ground, letting the timer tick. I decided to text Alphys - "Need help: MTT." A few seconds later she told me she was hacking into the fire controls.

Time passed. Mettaton was singing some other ridiculous song, cackling away. I was lying on the ground. Alphys would get it in time, right? She should.

"Time's up!" Mettaton shouted. "Looks like you haven't moved an inch! You know what this means!"

I perfectly knew what it meant.

"The flames are coming in!"

The flamethrowers edged in. Alphys did it, right?

They flicked on, and shot a blast of fire. Okay...there was time left.

"Closer!"

They budged a little towards me. It was getting hot. She had this, right?

"Closer!"

I realized I forgot to SAVE.

"Closer!"

Alphys, pull through, please…

The flames flickered, and they died down. "Hm...technical issues." Mettaton said.

His face started ringing, which he pushed a button on his face to receive a call. "Hello, there! Mettaton here!"

It was Alphys.

"I've foiled your plan, Mettaton, and I hacked right through your firewalls!"

"Oh, my, my, my, human. And Alphys." He turned to me. "Looks like we've got a little helper here." He tapped his wheel on the ground. "Hm...you didn't touch any tiles, either. You're still gonna die!"

Mettaton lunged at me, Chara barely pulling me out of the way. He looped back around with his little hover thing, and I had to quickly duck under him.

"Do we have anything that can help?" I asked Chara.

"We don't!" Chara replied.

"There is!" Alphys shouted from Mettaton, him still swooping around. "There's a new app on your phone-" Mettaton silenced the phone. But I already knew what I had to do. I opened up my phone, and there was a new app with a weird yellow gun on it. Not pausing to think, I opened it.

My phone instantly started reshaping, the area which I held becoming a grip, and a weird barrel started forming. My necklace began to glow bright yellow. In about a second, I held which was unmistakably a strange gun of sorts. Without thinking, I took a shot at Mettaton.

A burst of yellow energy shot out of the pistol, striking Mettaton in the head.

"Ow! Ooh!" Mettaton yelled. "That stings! I'm not fighting this anymore." Then he just flew off again. Leaving me to cross the tiles at my own pace.

It still didn't make the piranhas and shocking any better, though.

* * *

"so...lemme get this straight, kid. you dealt with a psychotic killer bot. you met some gray dudes. and gaster...told you i would be here waiting."

"Yeah, that's the gist of it." I sighed. I didn't even try to tell him Muffet.

After "defeating" Mettaton, we made our way to the resort, where Sans was, of course waiting.

"heh. well, i managed to reserve a table inside the resort. unless you got money, though, no food."

"How much is a meal?" I asked.

"150 gold per."

We had the money. Just barely. We also had a ridiculous amount of Sea Tea, still. Just in case anyone actually hurt me.

"Don't forget me." Chara said.

300 gold. I'd be cutting it short. But our expenses were mainly just Sea Tea. That we had a whole storage box full of. And if we needed money, we could just use that weird dog residue.

So, as Sans pulled out a credit card, and I pulled out 300 gold, we made our way into the MTT Resort.

The resort was...actually ridiculous. In the very center was a Mettaton fountain that didn't even work properly, spraying water all over the floor. This really sad chipmunk-like monster was at a fast food counter, selling some weird colorful burgers and steaks in the shape of Mettaton's face. There was a whole line of monsters at the elevator. Sans led us left into a dimmer lit area, which was the MTT restaurant. The interior was a pleasant temperature, a cool blue hue, and a monster lightly plucked a guitar as patrons ate.

Sans called for his reservation, and in the span of a few seconds we were led to our table, which was vaguely Mettaton-shaped. Then, we were given a chapter book of a menu to choose from.

Being slightly uncultured swine, I stared at the menu and didn't even know where to start. Although the menu was very nicely printed, had thorough descriptions, and pictures of the food to boot, honestly, I had never been in a fancy restaurant. I had no clue what I was doing with this fancy of a menu, or how everything even tasted. I knew a good few of the terms, but I wasn't sure if I should risk it. I definitely wasn't going for something normal, like pizza or pasta or a rice or something. All of the fancier foods sounded really good, as well. But I wasn't sure if I ordered one of them I'd regret it, because it didn't live up to tastes or whatever. I finally settled on a bit of seafood: pan fried oysters and a side of clam chowder. The oysters came as a meal on a plate with other things, so all was well.

Chara went straight for the escargots. Some sort of snails. The way how it was described on the menu, it did sound pretty good. Though also really bad because the image showed it drenched in butter. She also ordered a side of grilled scallops and chocolate melting cake for dessert.

Sans, being Sans, ordered brisket.

"Why brisket?" Chara challenged.

"Yeah, we're in such a fancy place and you're going for brisket?" I asked. "Can't you just get it at a better price at Grillby's?"

Sans only leaned back and chuckled a little. "now, for frisk, i get how she doesn't understand. chara? come on. you got no excuse."

"Hey, food is still food. It's still got it's taste." Chara swiftly replied, as the waiter walked away with our order.

"kid, is there even really a point?" Sans asked. "i mean, yeah. it's food alright. but it's not what the menu says it is. you know exactly where the food comes from, right?"

I shook my head a little. Chara still kept glaring.

"comes from that trash dump down in waterfall. monsters just magically treat it all and turn it into edible food." Sans informed and clarified, "and what they can't salvage from the dumps, they make out of treated fungus, packaged up all nice and well to look like the real deal."

Suddenly my oysters and clam chowder didn't seem so appetizing anymore.

"hey, kid. don't worry. promise ya none of the taste was lost. and it's probably cleaner than any food you'll get without magic. plus, this place makes a mean brisket."

Further doubts were erased when our food came. The clam chowder was very good, or at least, better than any chowder I had made. And the pan fried oysters were top-notch. Chara, meanwhile, tried a few snails, then proceeded to savor them as she did with the rest of her food.

And Sans seemed to enjoy his brisket. Halfway through, however, he started talking in between bites.

"so, kid. you know a little 'bout the loops, right?"

"No." I answered. "Well, a little."

"how much?" Sans kept munching.

"Something something project." I said. "We're bringing someone back from the dead."

Sans paused. Then, he put his fork down. "okay, kid. and...this is all supposed to work?" he asked.

"Well, the details are a little unclear." I replied.

"and how many times do you think we've done this?" Sans asked. His voice seemed to drop in octaves. "how many resets, how many times did you have to ruin a happy ending, just to throw it all back? answer truthfully, kiddo. else, you better hope you saved."

Something beneath the table tapped by knee. When I looked under, a large dragon skull was staring up at me, some ball of force in its maw glowing bright. I nervously swallowed and kept eating, trying not to draw too much attention. And I didn't SAVE. Chara seemed to have stopped as well.

"A hundred?" I asked.

Sans seemed decently satisfied by this answer. "nah, way more kiddo. i'm pegging it around two hundred, plus or minus a fair amount."

I froze up while Sans kept eating. Chara also ate, but a little more on edge.

"hey, kid. don't think twice about it." Sans consoled. "just gotta test your dedication, you know? wouldn't want to, say, drop it in the middle. like what i did, hehe. getting to the surface stopped appealing to me, and going back didn't seem like quite a good idea, either."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Sans sighed. "kid...i don't expect you to understand. but a long time ago, everyone was happy. then, a certain special person died. and everything went to shit."

Chara suddenly lost appetite in her snails. But her food was mostly done anyways. So she offered half her snails to me, which I accepted onto my plate.

"so, ever since then, we had a lab, now devoted to two projects: either get that person back to life, or break the barrier. because that person really, really wanted that to happen. of course, none of it did. the research team was...erased, in a sense. something happened to me and pap as well. and ever since then i've been chasing mist. trying to bring back the team, or trying to break the barrier."

"So what happened?" I asked.

"what happened, kid?" Sans asked. "i gave up. too many disappointments. just wanted to live happy. unfortunately, then came a few little munchkins who decided to start kicking the timeline around. just, you know. needed to test if you were dedicated enough. and you didn't have any bad intentions."

I had no idea what he was talking about. Chara, on the other hand, looked like she had seen a ghost. We all resumed eating, though Chara didn't find her melting cake too appetizing anymore, I assumed. The snails had a funny taste to them, more strange than savory. But they were a nice taste.

We finished our meal and our drinks, paying our meal costs, though Chara stayed silent, and her face spoke of worry, thought, and maybe a few traces of horror. Finally, she spoke up.

"Sans." she whispered.

"hm?"

"Can I...can I see the laboratory again?"

Sans stared at her for a bit. Then he chuckled. "sure, kid. i'll show you everything again. just for you. i know a little shortcut."

He snapped his fingers, and the world around us elongated and blurred away, twisting and stretching, making us feel weightless, almost. Then, it settled down as the three of us found ourselves sitting on pristine white beds in a cold linoleum room.

"welcome to the actual lab. the first one, still based in hotland. the lab, beneath the lab, beneath another lab."

Judging by that...we were under Alphys's lab.


	31. Chapter 28: Daedelus's Workshop

### Chapter 28: Daedelus's Workshop

The lab was cold. And it didn't help Chara's state.

"Everything...it's just the way it was all left…" she whispered. Chara got up and started walking. I had to follow. I didn't really have a choice. Besides, it looked like Chara knew the place.

She flicked a few light switches, and some old looking light bulbs flickered to life, after a few seconds of them having to warm up from what must have been centuries without usage. Chara flipped through cabinet after cabinet, drawer after drawer, searching for something as if driven by a demon or something.

"What are you looking for?" I asked. I also looked around. Diagrams upon diagrams lined the walls. Diagrams about the Barrier, the Underground, magic, psionics...and a whole bunch of other things.

But one stuck out to me in particular: one labeled Icarus. And I looked at it, and just couldn't stop looking. It was some sort of strange machine, a diagram of steel and pipes, of wires and cogs. I stared, and stared, trying to deduce it's purpose while Chara dug around madly.

I read the notes. Fire conduit...planar distiller...rift device…

"yeah, that's the core."

I turned around, and Sans was standing behind me. That grin of his was gone, replaced with a somber stare.

"the mistake. you wanna hear what happened with it?" Sans asked. Chara turned, after having dug up a black, leather bound notebook, with a rune of some sort inscribed on it.

"I found it...Gaster's notebook."

"yeah, ya found it. we all knew where it was. but you can't open it. some sort of contingency on it doesn't let us crack it open."

"Doesn't matter." Chara hissed. "Still keeping it. Some day it'll open."

"anyways. after the person died, Gaster...went a little nuts. he never was mentally healthy, but i think he got stuck in his grief. started spending days on end without sleep, muttering about "souls" and whatnot. butterfly effect, i think he said once. he built the core to amplify a person's soul, hoping he could pulse one soul's power and refract it so many times, then release it on the barrier. hit it with a shock akin to the power seven human souls would produce."

"That…" Chara stopped for a second. "It really is based off of my work, then…"

"meh. not really, more like a theory off a theory. he applied a few things you found and tried to see if it worked in another field." Sans explained. "but that's not why it was the greatest failure."

"What made it?" I asked.

Sans bowed his head. "think, kid. think. to amplify something, what do you need first? restating this. to make a laser, what do you need?"

"A source of light." I answered.

"yep. now, apply it to the core. to amplify the power of a human soul, you need…"

"A human soul."

"and where would you get that human soul?" Sans asked.

"From a human." Both Chara and I replied at the same time. Then we realized, and Chara's eyes widened in horror. "No. He couldn't have…"

"yes. yes he did, chara. he always said your soul was unique. he thought your soul would be a nice conduit for the element of fire we extracted from the earth itself. he was wrong."

"What went wrong?" Chara asked.

"turns out your soul was way stronger than we thought. the moment doc slotted your soul in, the containment could barely channel the outputted power. it blew. gaster was right next to it, and he absorbed the full impact. suzy, richards, ray, william...they were near the doc. they got...erased, i guess. they technically don't exist anymore. i was standing a good distance off. i still got hit with the stuff. the...'determination.' the will to survive."

"So...what happened to you?" Chara asked again.

"me? well, i didn't feel much first few days. sure. a little mopey, but work had to be done. asgore later declared the science team to be dissolved, and hired a new scientist to work. and i was unofficially hired as a second royal scientist. we were once again tasked with breaking the barrier."

"we played a little with determination. but then alphys got this crazy idea to try injecting it into things. i still stayed on gaster's original plan of building machines, doing all this fancy stuff."

A loud _boom_ interrupted us. Chara yelped. Sans looked...discomforted.

"What was that?" I asked."

"i'm hoping it's not…"

"Not WHAT?" Chara yelled.

_Boom._

"the failed experiments…"

 _ **Boom.**_ A large, white, amorphous body squeezed through the crack of a door, almost impossibly. It looked like a dog, except dogs don't look like they were made of...at least ten other dogs.

"What did you all DO?" Chara screamed at Sans.

"now's not the time! my shortcut still hasn't recharged!" Sans was actually panicking a little bit. With no escape on hand...the situation was looking bad. My last SAVE was here. It wouldn't buy us enough time.

The weird amorphous...amalgamation crept closer. Chara slowly backed away, fear in her eyes. Sans had his and outstretched. And I grabbed a clipboard from a nearby table. Man, this weapon sucked.

Both Chara and Sans closed their eyes as the amalgamation inched closer. I held up my clipboard. Then I threw it.

The clipboard split its head in half, but the head reformed after it cleaved through. The amalgamation, however, ran after the clipboard, flicking weird ectoplasm everywhere. It came running back after a while, spitting out the same clipboard. Then it puffed itself up and dropped its large, amorphous mass on the floor.

"Good...dog?" I asked it. I also scratched its chin area. It made a barking sound.

"You're just an oversized dog, aren't you?" I smiled at it and climbed onto its back, petting its mass. "Look at you. Who's a good dog? Huh? That's right, you are!"

"what are you doing?" Sans asked. His eyes were open again, and he was watching me pet the amalgamate-dog.

"Fr...iend?" A voice whispered. "Cold…"

A pool of more ectoplasm pooled up as the dog picked up the clipboard in its face-hole, that I assumed was a mouth. The ectoplasm morphed into what was, as I understood, a Snowdrake. "He...lp...me." it croaked out to Chara, who was hyperventilating and having a panic attack.

"oh...this is not good." Sans muttered. I understood why. I never saw Chara panic, not even once.

"is...char...a?" it whispered. "Cha...ra?"

"Yeah, I'm Chara!" Chara burst out laughing in shock and panic. "I'm the fucking kid who ate flowers and killed herself! I'm the kid who's taking a damn dirt nap, Sleet!"

Sleet stepped closer to Chara, a sort of wing out, a gesture against Chara's hysteria. She closed her eyes, her wing becoming solid for long enough to pat Chara on the head a few times. Chara's hysteria turned into sobbing, which turned into just a quiet weeping. I approached Chara.

"Please don't look at me, Frisk." she whispered. "Please don't look." Sleet kept trying to calm Chara down.

I still kept walking towards her. "Don't look! Stop!" she shouted.

Step after step, I walked towards Chara. Then, I threw my arms around her, and hugged her. Sleet backed away a little bit, dripping whatever it was. Chara was a little shocked at first, but then she wrapped her arms around me and started crying and sniffling again. I only held on tighter as her tears sunk into my clothing.

Slowly, slowly, Chara's tears began to stop. Her breathing steadied out, as she began to calm back down. Sans stood next to us, watching.

"Thank you...Frisk." she whispered. "Please...let big sis go." I released my grip, which locked into iron clamps during the time we were hugging. Shakily, she stood back up. "Sorry, Frisk." she said. Her eyes were a little more red than usual.

"Okay...now?" Sleet asked. The many Vegetoids on her seemed to be smiling in a sad, goopy smile.

"I'll be fine, Sleet. I'll be...fine." Chara muttered. Sleet took a concerned look at Chara, before slowly trudging out of the room.

Just then, an elevator door slid open, revealing Alphys with many bags. Upon seeing us, she dropped all of her bags, her expression shocked.

"What are you all doing here?" she shouted.


	32. Chapter 29: The Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Growing closer.  
> Very soon, all will begin to close.

### Chapter 29: The Truth

After a tense staredown, which seemed to last hours, Alphys sighed.

"I guess...it was time you all knew." she resigned. "Sans...how much did you tell them?"

"not much. just the beginnings of our experiments."

"I never understand how you always manage to look so calm, Sans…" Alphys muttered. "So, where should I begin…we gathered monsters that had fallen down. Monsters doomed to die. But with this Determination, the will to live…"

"we figured, maybe we could let them live longer. course, i was interested for another reason as well." Sans added.

"Yes, but it doesn't change what we did." Alphys added. "In any case...we injected the fallen monsters with Determination. Just...for science. It...worked. It worked to an extent."

"What happened to the monsters you injected?" Chara asked. "Why did they end up like...that? Like...goop?"

Alphys sat down. "We had no idea what would happen. Well, they got up alright. They started talking, and wandering about...but they just didn't contain the power necessary to break the Barrier. So instead, we made a vessel. Something neither human nor monster to break the Barrier. I chose a flower from Asgore's garden. That flower later...escaped."

A flower that escaped? That meant the flower was probably animate somehow…Flowey? Haven't seen him in a long time. But I continued listening.

"The monsters were okay for the first few days. I was about to release them. Then, they started melting. Dripping at first. Like water. Then melting, like wax under a fire. Soon, their melting made them stick and clump. Something about Determination likes solid matter. And since monsters aren't solid enough, they stuck together to add together more solid matter."

Sans sighed. "was a pretty big failure. but we all questioned whether or not we should return them to their families. then, i started seeing things. hitches in space here and there. and i also noticed myself melting. alphys freaked a little, but she wasn't melting. i chose a little extreme measure."

"Yes, didn't we?" Alphys replied. "We injected silver into the bones of your right hand. The second best magical conductor. Also useful for many other things, like magic storage." Her silver-rimmed glasses gleamed a little. "It worked. But the discovery was too late for the other monsters."

"besides, it's not perfect. i'm still a little melts even today." Sans replied.

"In any case," Alphys sighed, "You know the truth now. The whole truth. And I...think I'm ready to tell the world what I've done." She took her glasses off and looked at me in the eye. "Mettaton was a setup by me."

I coughed. "What?"

"Yes. I set up Mettaton and all of his shows. Just to...erm, play the hero. But I think it's time to not do that. If I really wanted to be the hero, I'd...tell everyone what I did. So, new plan. I'm calling off tje final act. Mettaton will be...pretty pissed, and probably try to eke out a little more fame. So, once you get his fame, I'll come on stage with the Amalgamates and tell the world what I've done. Sans. Can you help?"

"sure. whaddya need?" Sans said.

"The Core is full of Mettaton's mercenaries. I need you to blink Frisk and Chara right in front of Mettaton's door. Please, don't interfere."

"sure. i won't." Sans replied. "'sides, these two? tough cookies. when we starting?"

Alphys pulled out her phone. "Right now. Guys?"

Amalgamations of monsters, big and small, slid out from under bookcases, from sinks, from freezers. "Home? Home? Home?" one rasped.

"Yes. Home." Alphys said. "We'll finally send you all back. The Amalgamates burst into tears, or at least, the ones that could. Chara's haunted expression was gone. Only replaced by a fondness towards many of the sorry monsters.

"cmon, kids. let's move." Sans motioned. He led us one way towards a door, and Alphys led the Amalgamates towards another. The moment we stepped through the doorway, my body felt elongated and stretched as we went through one of Sans' many "shortcuts."

* * *

Then, for brief moment, I was stuck in nothingness. Save for a red heart with me.

The heart was a bloody red, glitching like the Core was. It beat once. It beat twice.

"Release me…" it seemed to whisper.

"Release you from what?" I asked.

"Release me...release me…" it repeated, as it faded away.

* * *

Then, it flowed away, as we stepped out on the other end of the shortcut. We were facing a very fancy-lit door with an elevator beside it.

"good luck, kid." Sans said. Then he walked off Into the elevator.


	33. Chapter 30: Rising Star

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey, that was fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tick. Tock.

### Chapter 30: Rising Star

"Well, well, well." Mettaton greeted when I walked in. "Aren't you late."

"Show's canceled, Mettaton." I said. "Alphys said to stop."

"Well, good. Because I wasn't planning on dealing with Alphys anymore." Mettaton replied. "No, I shall become my very own rising star! Money, fans, power and fame! I'll have it all once I take your soul and cross the Barrier! I'll have it all, I tell you, all!"

He turned away, cackling. I got out the weird blaster again. But I also noticed a switch on his back. Without thinking, I flipped it.

"Alright. Let's hope for the best." Chara whispered. She rubbed her hands together.

"Let's hope nothing bad happens…" I replied.

Mettaton froze up. "Did you. Just flip. My switch." he asked. "Did you just. Flip. My switch."

"Yes I did, Mettaton. Yes I did." I held up the blaster towards him. Finish the fight before it even starts, hopefully. My other option was to wait it out. He had to have a power source or something.

"Well...this only means one thing!" Mettaton was panting. "There's a new show on the air, called Attack of a Killer Robot! Starring: You!"

Mettaton collapsed to the ground, where a cloud of mist emitted from his metal frame. I stepped back a good few feet, while an electric guitar played a few bars. Inside the cloud, I heard mechanical thunks as something was happening to Mettaton.

Then, a voice came out from the cloud. It sounded quite synthesized, but also very refined. Still a male.

"Oh, yes." the voice called. The mist faded to reveal a whole different robot.

Mettaton had gotten a full makeover. He was humanoid with a pink torso, and really, really big pink boots. His hair fell in front of his right eye.

Stage lights flicked on, one, two, three, four, swinging across our stage as they flashed in multicolored light, then focused on me and Mettaton.

"I'll make your death absolutely fabulous, darling." Mettaton said.

I reminded myself why I was doing this again, as stage lights blared down on my eyes and disco music started playing. High up in the air, a little screen displayed the current show's ratings and viewer count. They were at quite a low number.

"Now," Mettaton crouched down. "Let's dance."

* * *

He launched at me with a flurry of kicks, which I ducked and dodged under. I was getting pretty good at this dodging act, although I still needed brief moments to catch my breath. Luckily, he was a showman. And he wanted a good show. So he let me recover, thankfully. Sadly I had no idea what I was doing. Except...to put on a show. And attract an audience. Okay, maybe I did know what to do.

I spun my weird blaster around my finger a few times during one of Mettaton's downtimes, attempting to look cool while pointing it straight at Mettaton. Out of the corner of my eye, the ratings and viewer count crept up a little. Mettaton smiled. Chara went off to the side.

"Knock 'em dead, darling." he whispered to me while he feinted in for one of his attacks, before zooming past me, throwing little Mettaton-shaped robots. They whirled around me, shooting little heart-shaped blasts of magic I barely dodged. A few of them grazed my arms and legs, leaving light bruises. I turned my blaster on the little bots, and one by one, shot them out of the air. I twirled my gun like some western sharpshooter, and blew off imaginary smoke from the tip. Mettaton was impressed. And the ratings shot up even more. I swore, in the back, I saw Sans and Chara leaning against a wall, watching my...performance, I guess.

"Keep it coming!" Chara yelled.

I smirked and turned towards Mettaton. "You think that'll catch me, Mettaton? Just watch me." I scoffed.

"Well, then. Looks like I've got a proper one on my hands. You won't be the one who wins, darling!" Mettaton shouted back, raising up his hands. From there, he shot a hail of magical cubes at me, an array impossible to dodge. Maybe if I…

I raised my blaster up again, and mashed away at the trigger. _Pew, pew, pew_ went the little gun as its yellow bursts of energy consumed the cubes and vanished. "Easy." I scoffed. The ratings skyrocketed again. Sans clapped a few times, and Chara...well, she looked like she was enjoying the show.

"Well, then. Prepare yourself for the next! This one's an essay question!" Mettaton threw a piece of paper and pencil at me, which I deflected, then caught, the paper and pencil easily falling in to place. Simple sleight of hand, but the ratings went up even more. This was...surprisingly enjoyable.

"What is the one thing you love most about Mettaton?" he asked.

Well.

I looked at his robotic body. I looked around, thought about it...then I had my answer. I scribbled a few things down, folded it into a paper airplane, and threw it back at Mettaton. He caught it and started reading it.

"Hm...arms, legs, hair, fabulous...yes, I am quite fabulous, aren't I?" Mettaton commented as he did a hair flip, causing the ratings to rise further. I could imagine Papyrus sitting in Snowdin, squealing in delight. He winked at me. I winked back. We were in this show act together, so at least we were on the same page. He then passed the paper to a cameramonster. "Well, now that you've shown me your heart, how about I show you mine?" He opened a release valve, and a white heart floated out of his torso as it lobbed cube after cube at me, me shooting the cubes down with precision. Mettaton after a bit of shooting put the heart back into his torso. The ratings went up a little more. He grinned at me. Then he pulled out some small bomb-like items and a lot of his MTT bots.

"Lights, Camera, Explosions!" he yelled, throwing a boy and a bomb directly at me. But I was ready for it. I started seeing his cues. I landed a nice shot on a bot, shot a bomb…

Or rather, shot a bomb and horribly miscalculated the blast, singing myself a little with magical fire. But now I was prepared. So, when Mettaton cued the next segment, by flicking his ankle, and me responding by spinning my blaster, we dashed in an elliptical path, me blasting down all of the bombs and bots he threw at me. When we passed each other, he stopped throwing bombs and bots as I threw my blaster in the air, both of us having three points on the ground as we skidded back, facing towards one another. I perfectly caught the blaster in my hand. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the ratings explode with my trick. Viewer count was sitting at a nice six thousand or so.

"I'm every bit the rising star you are, Mettaton." I boasted, doing a nice hair flip. Man, that felt good doing it. No wonder Chara had short bangs while she was my brother. It simply felt too good. The crowd loved it as well, as evidenced by the further increase in viewer count and ratings. In the viewer chat, I swear I could see messages such as "The only reason why I just gave this a 10 was because I couldn't give this a Metta-ten out of ten."

Well. That was a horrifying pun.

"A star's gotta dance, though." Mettaton replied as a disco ball lowered from the ceiling. "Let's see how you handle the dance floor!"

The disco ball started shooting beams of magic around, blue and orange, sweeping across the ground, forcing me to move. Mettaton and I leapt, twirled, and bounded between the areas of light, almost like a dance of sorts. I was at first a little rough around the edges, but a few second in I was already a master, with a few singes here and there from the searing orange magic. We ended the dance with one final heroic pose as blue shone on both of us, the ratings climbing higher and higher. Nine thousand now.

Then, Mettaton started picking up the pace. He probably was starting to try and kill me, as he threw bomb after bomb at me, forcing me to quickly dodge left and right in order to survive the blasts of the bombs and the cubes flying at me. I decided it was time to drink a Sea Tea, and a few of my injuries healed away as I was filled back up with energy.

Then a cube clubbed me in the back of the head. Ow. I looked behind me and saw all of the cubes and bombs that missed me on their first run coming back around at me. But Mettaton was already starting to shoot at me again. Great. I took a deep breath in, exhaled, and readied myself for both the bullet hell and the ratings.

Like some crazy gunfight scene from Equilibrium, I slammed away on the trigger at lightning fast speeds, blasting down cube after cube, quickly dodging under explosions. I didn't care about my light headedness; it was replaced with an adrenaline stronger than I had ever felt. And, just like Equilibrium, once the storm of cubes and such cleared, I stood in the famous stance Cleric Preston stood in for all of those badass action scenes he did, finger gun replacing the lack of an offhand pistol. I could hear the monsters, especially Papyrus and Undyne cheering. I actually saw Sans and Chara cheering. The viewer count went wild. Nine thousand, nine thousand five hundred, six hundred, seven hundred, eight hundred, nine hundred…

Ten thousand. Absolutely incredible.

I angled my head down a little and gave Mettaton a little smirk. But he as well was too engrossed in his new milestone. For a different reason. I calmly stepped out of my stance.

"Goodness, now!" Mettaton exclaimed. "We've reached the ten thousand viewer call in milestone!" He pulled out an old flip phone. "The first monster who calls in will have their phone call featured on TV! So dial away before I take the human's soul and leave for the surface!"

Almost instantly the phone rang. Mettaton immediately flipped open the phone and hit the speaker. "Hello! You're on camera!" he cheerfully announced.

The voice, however, was completely unexpected. It was a face I hadn't seen in a while.

It was Napstablook. And, after the first sentence, beginning with "Mettaton" and quickly turning into a series of whispers, Mettaton turned it off speaker, as the smile faded off his face.

And he listened. He was still on air, and the call still was, judging by how the stream chat was blowing up.

"Wait, Blooky!" Mettaton yelled, but Napstablook hung up on him. Then he looked at the stream chat. And fell to his knees as he read the messages that came, all of them directed towards the general purpose of trying to tell Mettaton to not leave.

Then he got back up unsteadily and slowly. "Well, human..." he started. "I'm not leaving anymore. Humans already have their stars and idols. But they-" he pointed at the stream chat. "They still need theirs. Besides, Frisk." I perked up at the mention of my name. It was the first time he mentioned me by name. "I think you've become quite the brilliant star already. I'll be shutting down in a few moments. The power consumption of this body is too high to stay this way, as much as I love it."

He raised up his hand in a fist. "Make your performance absolutely dazzling, darling." Then his body went limp. His batteries had run dry. Then, the door opened. Alphys stepped in, with the Amalgamates following her. I stepped away from the camera and the spotlight, and Alphys walked in. She looked ready to pass out, but she straightened up, motioned for the Amalgamates to walk in and face the camera as well, and cleared her breath.

"My name is Alphys. You know me as the Royal Scientist who made Mettaton. And I also, a long time ago, made these." she started. She spoke on and on about the DT experiments, and how the monsters fallen down ended up like this. Then she started on her apologies.

A cold, bony hand landed on my shoulder. I turned around to face Sans. Behind him was Chara, and a strange, wispy, almost ghost-like monster girl who was originally something like that monster kid from Snowdin, except with reptilian arms. She was drained of all color, and her form flickered in and out of existence.

"awesome show, but time to move, kid." Sans said. "i won't be following you. got some stuff to do. suzy will help ya out here." His bones momentarily glowed blue for a second, before his body elongated, him teleporting away in a flash of blue mist, leaving me with Chara and Suzy.

"A few more steps to go, Frisk." Chara said, placing a hand on my back. "We're almost in New Home."

Suzy opened her mouth to speak. But her voice was as quiet and fragile as a light breeze in the air. I dared not listen to anything else when she spoke, because I was afraid its quiet volume would simply vanish away when my attention was diverted. But her speech was not like the other...gray monsters I met. All the others followed typical ideas of how volume worked: the more noise, the less I was able to hear their voices. But when I listened to her, no matter how loud Alphys' sobbing at times, no matter the growling of the Amalgamates or the churning hum of the Core, her voice always remained at the same volume in my mind, always speaking. It was clear and intelligible, so long as I listened to what she had to say.

"Come this way. As Sans stated, I am Suzy. I was sent by Gaster to guide you on the final segment of your journey. This story is almost at a close." She held her hand up, and the door out of the Core slid open, spilling out brilliant white light. Chara and I covered our eyes as we walked towards the entrance to New Home.


	34. Chapter 31: Undertale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I am filled with determination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You are filled with determination.

### Chapter 31: Undertale

Reverence.

That's the feeling I felt when I stepped foot into the main street of the aptly-named "New Home." Monsters milling about, laughing. Playing. It felt like a small town from a fantasy. Magical sunlight shone down on everyone. A salesmonster tried to sell me some fruit, from whom I kindly bought two apples. Far away, I could hear the sounds of a small band of street performers. And I could hear someone, a storyteller, reciting stories of heroes and monsters.

Yet, it seemed sad. Like Waterfall. New Home, although built so well that the houses needed no mortar because of the finely cut stone, was gray all around. Some monsters walked with their backs slightly hunched, already tired, even though the town square's clocktower said it was only half past ten.

"Welcome to New Home." Chara said. "The finest monster city in existence."

I barely heard her as I explored what was New Home. Suzy was walking quite briskly, yet she also seemed to understand my wonder, as she stopped to accommodate my pacing.

"This way." her wispy, delicate voice crooned. "Up the widest road." Her spritely form more like wisped along the road. "Chara. Have you told Frisk our story, yet?"

"Our story?" I asked Suzy.

"Yes. The story of Chara, and of monsterkind. Her story." Suzy pointed at Chara. "And his story, as well. The story of the monster prince."

Chara looked away for a second, took a deep breath in, and sighed out. "Frisk. You ready for this? My story. Why I fell, and the events of my lifetime."

I stopped and thought for a while. The street musicians shifted from happy music to a more bittersweet song. Then, I spoke my answer.

"Yes."

Chara bowed her head. "Well, it's now or never, isn't it? Where do I start.."

"Suggestion, Chara. Begin with your birth." Suzy pointed.

Chara inhaled, then exhaled.

"Alright."

* * *

My name is Chara. It meant "Joy" in Greek. But my life was anything but that.

I was born a long time ago in a French fief near the border of Italy, on the winter solstice of 1493, with naturally red eyes. I was born to a mother with a twin brother, and a father who was a merchant and had a fair sum of wealth, but died in war. He was drafted, and the only things he left us were his memory, his moderate wealth, and the dagger he carried.

My brother's name was Richter. English name. He liked it. And he was the celebrated one. Everyone loved him, unlike me, given I was born with my eye color. Most people treated me with an eye of mild apprehension, to slight hostility. Some even said I had the eyes of a murderous demon. Only my family ever treated me well. Especially Richter.

"Chara! Chara! Look, it's snowing! Chara, let's go out and play!"

I have...a lot of good memories with him. Mother taught us both how to read and write at a young age, so consider us blessed, I suppose.

"Now, children. The world outside is dark." Mother always said. "But what I'm teaching you, is your light."

She was right, I suppose. It made me perceptive.

But a plague of smallpox took them both. I caught cowpox in my early days, so I was spared from the smallpox. I had to bury them both. By myself. It was a cold winter day when they died. I was glad I didn't catch a cold. Otherwise, I would have probably died as well.

I was taken in by the church, with only a red notebook, my parents' wealth, their house near the church, and that dagger to my name. With them as my official "guardians," I was told to do the most menial tasks for them, scolded for the slightest imperfection.

I hate them for it. But, it also saved me from the plague, as day by day I had to wash clothes down at the river. The church had the best spot, the cleanest part of the stream flowing inside of the church compound. I washed their robes along with those of the ruling nobles.

I also had to be the one who gave medicine to the sick, saw the worst of every injury, and saw the dead off to their next life. It was a dark job for me, but I did it with a numbness that I didn't even know I had in me at the time.

The church garden, however, became my pride and joy. It was maintained to be perfect, and I wouldn't let myself do any less. It became a way I relaxed, away from the noise of the nuns and their constant attempts to indoctrinate me into their fold. I also had one friend, a few years older than me. Her name was Priscilla. The Priscilla.

I read, as well. I read almost every book on philosophy and the sciences the church had. I studied the words of Plato, Machiavelli, and Shakespeare, and the maths and sciences of Euclid, Archimedes, Copernicus, Galileo, and Da Vinci, as well as a number of philosophers, thinkers, and physicians from the East. I taught myself most languages I knew. And, I put what they discovered to the test. At the time, people were at best skeptic of their research. But a quick test confirmed the validity of the thinkers, for all of them. And I put their formulas to good use, obtaining myself some lab equipment to earn myself money by brewing medicines and making trinkets and chemical creations to sell to traveling merchants.

Of course, I couldn't let my income be known. Or any of my wealth, that was. The baron of the place I lived was a horrible man. He wouldn't tax the church, and by extension, the wealth my parents had accumulated, managed by one of the kinder nuns towards me. But, if he discovered the money I was earning behind his back, he would have no doubt levied an astronomical tax, leaving me with barely anything. He did this to all of his subjects, and as a result in many harsh winter months the workers died to starvation. His only reply?

"They're just a basket of deplorable pigs in filthy clothing. They don't deserve better."

His son wasn't any better, either. Every time he saw me he had a gang. And every time he had a gang, he would beat me. If I had money, or food on me, he would take it. Most of the time, I didn't even plan on eating the food. It was all stolen bread and wine from the storehouses of the church. I'll confess, I drank some of the wine at times. And at times, I got drunk in my own room.

But the bread was always for the people that were hungry, the ones who suffered under the baron. Among some of them, I was seen as a hero. I was welcomed as a savior to them.

To some, however, I was seen as simply someone whose job was to give them bread. They showed gratitude when I managed to get them food, yes, but when I couldn't, I was looked on with scorn, sometimes even openly accused of keeping the food for myself. Eventually I stopped giving food to those houses.

This was my life. That is, until war came.

There, I was tasked to drag soldiers away from the front lines to the medical tents, when we were under siege. I carried the dagger with me at all times. When the enemy army finally broke in, the standing forces inside the walls barely held them back, and the opposing army ran through the streets, butchering people. I had to draw the dagger to kill a man who was threatening to kill Priscilla. Killing is a gruesome act, needless to say. I stabbed the soldier in the head, again and again, fourteen times in total. He was dead, but some latent insanity, some sick psychopath inside of me just kept mutilating his body, tearing out his heart, his liver, his kidneys. Every bit of medical knowledge I had, knowledge used to heal, turned to harm as brutally as possible. I remember his dead body clear as day. His body reduced to a lacerated lump of flesh, mouth and eyes open in agony. I was bathed in his blood. I didn't feel disgust, or shock.

It was a pleasure to kill.

And that caused more disgust than anything else. Still no horror. Just disgust at myself. But, as a bit of blood dribbled down and into my mouth, and its rusty, bitter taste hit my tongue, a sick satisfaction rose within me. A special pleasure, I suppose. To see a man, even after he was dead, pleading for mercy. And with my instrument of slaughter in my hands, I got up, cut his head off, and mounted it on his own sword. I was pleased with myself, in the sickest fashion possible.

Priscilla had ran when I leapt between her and the soldier. She must have been long since gone. But after the battle was over, I was found doing my job, drenched in blood. I was given a small reward for my deeds. A reward that was almost immediately stripped away by the baron and his son. The baron, seeing I made some money that wasn't protected by the church, levied his tax on me. His son, that night, broke into my room, and beat me nearly to death, taking my precious books and hard earned money.

I decided they had committed enough atrocities. So, during the time I was healing, I planned the assassination, and once I was fully healed, I carried it out. It was a decent plot, utilizing what I knew to create concoctions to put the guards to sleep while I snuck into the keep. From there, I once again pulled out the dagger.

I quietly made my way to the baron's room. There, I used another dose of the concoctions to make sure the baron would stay asleep. He didn't have a wife. He executed her long ago for some ridiculous reason I can't remember. I quickly slit his throat, letting the blood gush in fountains. I sat and watched it pool, once again partaking in that sick pleasure. I took out a cord of rope from my bag, tied a noose, and hung the baron's dead body from the ceiling, blood still dripping. I then proceeded to take a rag, dipped it in the blood, and wrote on the wall, "Sus au tyran." Death to the tyrant.

Then, I walked over to the son's room. I made sure he was awake while I did this one. Swiftly covering and gagging his mouth, and restraining him so he wouldn't kick around, I drew the dagger and plunged it first into his leg, cutting deep as possible. His agony, his helpless thrashing, his gagged screams, they all were so satisfying for me. I then proceeded to stab him again, in his other leg, in his two shoulders. Then, I ran my knife down his gut.

If I was in my right mind at the time, I would have found it repulsive. But at the time I found it so very satisfying, to a horrifying degree. I cut into his lungs, and as his breath turned to wheezing, I finally cut out his heart, and with it still beating I painted on the walls, "Sus au bâtard." Down with the bastard. I bathed my dagger in his blood. It simply felt right at the time.

I made my escape by fashioning a parachute from black cloth, opening a window, and leaping out. My belongings were already placed near the entrance to the fief, where I grabbed them and walked towards a certain mountain named Mount Ebott.

Mount Ebott is a strange mountain. In magical terms, it is conceptual. It exists near the farthest frontier of knowledge and exploration man had reached, defined by geography but also intellectual. At the time, the intellectual frontier was in Italy due to the budding renaissance. But it also supposedly appeared around certain people. People Ebott chose to, perhaps, free the monsters. Maybe it was something the Seven Sages worked into it. Maybe they didn't want the monsters to be locked up.

To humans, however, the mountain was supposed to be demon-filled. No army dared step near it. Shepherds guided their flocks away from it. Its grassy, poetic slopes remained untrodden by human feet. Well, until me, that was.

I started my ascent at the break of dawn. My bloodlust and adrenaline were wearing off. My hands, clothes, and dagger were stained with blood. I found a river stream to wash my hands and dagger, and I changed my clothes out for something that didn't have the musky smell of rust. Then, I kept walking. I pulled out some food to eat when it was noon, but I didn't have much of an appetite. Besides, clouds were rolling in, and fast.

Up higher, there was a cave. It looked quite nice, and I thought it could serve as a shelter, and maybe as a place to stay while I thought out where I would go next. And just as the clouds broke out into pouring rain, I managed to make my way into the interior of the cave. There, I found a hole and plenty of vines. So after I set up a little fire, I weaved some vines together, cutting some with the dagger to make a rope, so I could hop down.

The vines, on the other hand, had a plan of their own. Before I had descended a few feet, the vines snapped. I scrambled to grab the edge of the hole, but the loose rocks simply crumbled as I dropped, down, and down, and down. I tumbled and screamed, and when I hit the floor of the cave, I landed chest first, with a sickening crunch as a few of my ribs and one of my legs cracked. My vision blurred with the pain. I could barely move, and even if I wanted to every move just made everything hurt more. I could only croak out one word.

"Help…"

I hardly expected anyone, or anything to receive my plea. I fully expected to die there. But someone did come.

His name was Asriel. And luckily, he was wandering the nearby area.

When I saw him, I saw old depictions of monsters and such. I saw something like the visions of goats prophets so told. I saw sharp, pointy, teeth and a strange dog-like head shape. But I also saw my help. And I thought, even if he was some old monster coming to exchange my soul for something, I wasn't really in a state to complain about whatever deal he'd offer. But he didn't make a deal or anything. He immediately saw me, and ran over to help me up, half-carrying me, half-supporting my walk. He said he would help carry me to his home, and he asked me my name.

There was only one thing I could ask him.

"Why? Why are you doing this?"

He only responded with a toothy smile. "Isn't it natural? To help others." he said.

Truth be told, no one had ever done that for me before. Except for my family. And for the first time in a while, I felt what I could, I guess, describe as a warmth. A warmth that made some of the pain fade away.

And I smiled. Not a malicious smile like the night I performed the assassination, nor the forced smiles I put on for everyone around me, but something akin to what only Richter could have done. His kindness. His willing to help others. I thought to myself a long time ago, that even if a person had killed an entire village, Richter would nevertheless still bring that person food and water if that person needed it. And I suppose I saw a little shred of him in Asriel. Asriel, of course, only looked at me curiously.

At the first monster settlement we found, the monsters saw Asriel carrying me, and rushed out to grab a cart for Asriel to place me and my possessions on. In the meantime, Asriel reached into his pocket and produced a bar of chocolate.

At the time, I had no idea what chocolate even was. I initially eyed it with suspicion and uncertainty. But as Asriel placed a piece of it into my mouth, I found that I enjoyed it as its sweet, warm taste spread through me. Slowly, he fed me piece by piece, until the entire chocolate bar was gone, and as I realized, so was most of my pain. I could move a little by myself again, although it still sent aching sores down my broken leg.

I decided, however, it was a fitting first meal for where I would most likely be staying. For a long time. When the monsters pulled over the cart, Asriel helped me into it and sat beside me. And so, as two burly looking monsters dragged me to Asriel's home, he talked with me more. I learned he was the prince of monsters. His kind had been underground for two thousand years at the current time, trapped under a magical barrier. And that he would do everything he could to convince his parents to let me stay with them, although he laughed and said that they'd probably let me stay even without me asking.

As I reached the castle and the two monsters helped me inside, I discovered that they certainly did let me stay with them as they adopted me as their own child. And I remember that when they said that, I broke down and cried. Toriel, the queen, kneeled down and comforted me. Just like how my own mother comforted Richter or I when we needed to be. Toriel saw right through me. She knew, in an instant, that I had a rough life.

And, as I watched Asgore thank the two burly monsters, not as a king to his subjects, but as equals, monsters to monsters, I realized that rulers can indeed be kind.

Time passed. I became an accepted part of monster society, although I think they let me in the moment I fell. I took part in their festivals, their formal events, and everything. I met a peculiar monster scientist named Gaster, and he taught me a whole new world, allowing me into his laboratory to perform work, all the while teaching me so much that the humans didn't know. At one point, he even taught me magic, although I'm afraid I'm a little rusty now.

And all the while, there was Asriel. There was his kindness. His radiance, I guess. His positive aura that he almost constantly emitted, an aura of hope. And his desire to one day see the surface.

And I eventually knew what had to be done.

I asked him to fetch me buttercups, so he could take my soul and go to the surface to take the souls of humans. From there, he could set the monsters free. In all honesty, I didn't really want to die. But, as I reasoned with myself, if I had to trade my life for all of the monsters' freedoms, then I would do it.

The day came when I would carry out the plan. Asriel sat by me and watched me consume the buttercups. They were bitter and acrid. They burned my throat and made me choke. But I kept on eating them, one by one. And I shuddered as my tears and sobs blurred my vision while I took my poison, Asriel constantly saying that I could back out at any time. I was scared, of course. But I kept going. For Asriel. For my family. For the monsters. For their freedom.

I loved them. I loved them all. Perhaps too much.

I finished the buttercups.

And I waited for my eventual death, watching the clock.

Time passed, first in painful, grueling seconds, then in minutes, then hours. My body started heating up. Painful sores started appearing, as the agony of the buttercup poison was the only thing left in my mind, besides the plan. Time flowed like water down the stream I came across when I was going up the mountain. My breath quickened. My heart seemed like it would pound out of my chest. But I was numb to it all.

Then, finally, my vision started turning dark. Death was coming for me, to allow me to move on to the next portion of the plan.

"We'll all be free, Asriel." I whispered, just before everything went black. Asriel shouted something, but I didn't hear it. Everything was too muffled.

I died.

Then, I had sensation again. But I was in a new body.

Asriel's. I heard his voice in my head, and he could hear mine. But I decided to take control. For now. I picked up my own limp body, made my way to the Barrier, and began to walk back to the fief I came from.

It looked completely different when I got there. The streets were clean, the people looked very well-fed. It seemed like a new order was in place. But that didn't matter to us. People ran into their houses to escape this so-called "demon" they screamed about. It was irrelevant to me, as I laid my body down in the center of town.

Then, as the militia gathered around our new form, I began conjuring fire. Arrow after arrow shot into my body as they tried to stop my spell, but they barely inflicted anything more than scratches to me. The nuns from the church tried to perform an exorcism on the spot, but their words and knives were mere pinpricks.

Then came Priscilla. And I stopped. And stared. She saw my dead body on the ground. Wordlessly, she grabbed a sword from a nearby soldier, drew it, and in a perfect moment of hatred, cut a deep gash down our chest. Someone - I guessed Asriel - tried to move our body out of the way, but it was too late. The wound was inflicted.

I was in shock over what just happened. But our body merely smiled. Asriel. He knew as well that even if we did get seven souls, we were still dead as golden blood, known to monsters as ichor, pooled from the wound. I think everyone was in shock. Except for Asriel as he picked up my body, and walked back to Mount Ebott.

We didn't talk on the way back. We didn't talk at all, until we entered Asgore's flower garden. And, we saw one last glimpse of our parents' horrified faces as our vision faded. I died. Again.

I awoke in a dark space, with nothingness around me. No concept of passing time. At a certain point, a familiar face joined me.

Gaster.

After a while, I learned how to view the world again, if I just focused on a person or location. From my strange prison, I watched the monsters and the humans. I watched everything happen, while Gaster kept up his work to theorize how to free the monsters. Eventually, he came up with a way. It would require us to bring seven humans underground, however.

And so we influenced the world as much as we could from where we were. We found six humans, and set their paths onto Mount Ebott. The seventh was you, Frisk. You know what happened after you.

Frisk, I promise you that you will not die.

It's not long now, Frisk. You will save us. You will free us all.

Do you feel their desires? Do you feel yours?

You're going to be free.

* * *

We reached the end of the road as Chara finished her story. Asgore's castle was just ahead. I looked right at her. She was looking right at me, as well.

Then, I fell towards her as I embraced her in a hug. Initially, she was surprised. But after a while, she slid her arms around me as we held each other for minutes on end. I then released her.

"Frisk. Are you ready?" Suzy asked.

I took a moment to gather myself. Then, I said my answer.

"Yes."

* * *

"Dum dee dum…" A mountain of a monster stood, back turned. Suzy had already long wisped away. Chara stood around the corner, leaving me facing Asgore. I was more than a little nervous.

"Hello?" I squeaked.

"Yes, hang on, let me finish this first." Asgore said, his deep voice thrumming in my rib cage. "And done! Now, how can I help you…"

He turned to me, took one look into my eyes, and stumbled back ten steps. It took him a while to regain his composure. Then, he cleared his throat.

"Yes, um...well, you know the drill by this point. Right?" he asked.

"I do." I said.

"Well...follow me then." He sighed, as he grabbed a trident leaning on the wall. I was a little nervous of following him. But I walked onwards. I wouldn't die.

"Dad!" Chara shouted. Asgore turned back around in shock as Chara ran towards him. Then, his countenance melted back to a warm, bitter smile.

"I'm sorry, Chara." he said, back to her.

"You don't have to do this." Chara told him. Asgore stopped. Then he looked at Chara.

"I'm sorry. But I have to do this." He turned to me as he got back up.

"Think of it...as a trip to the dentist, I guess." He told me.

"I'm well aware." I told him.

I swear I heard him whisper, "It's more for me than anything else." He opened a huge door to a room that howled with both regular wind and magical energy. I held an arm up in front of my face, to shield myself. Asgore, however, seemed very familiar with this procedure. He extended a hand, and seven jars rose out of the ground. Six of them had colored hearts: Blue, orange, yellow, green, purple, indigo. One of them, ominously, was empty.

"Ready?" Asgore asked.

I took a deep breath in, and out, as I adjusted to the howling gale and the magical battering. The dawn's light from the surface streaked through the barrier.

I knew I would win. Somehow.

I was filled with the desire to set the monsters free.

I was filled with the desire to fulfill what task I had.

I was filled with determination.

"Yes." I replied.


	35. Chapter 32: Prelude to the End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Is this it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it.

### Chapter 32: Prelude to the End

Asgore stood. The Barrier emitted a  _ wind _ of sorts that pushed both of us away from it. I clenched my hand around my stick. Past him, I could see twilight shining through the barrier, ever so faintly. The end was here. Chara returned into my necklace was already warming up the defense magic. And I was filled with determination.

He turned around, and in a whisper, he said, “Human.” He paused, hands trembling for a second. Then he regained his stature, after a shaky breath.

“It was nice knowing you.”

He dipped his head down as his hands glowed an ominous red light. It warped, it spun, it weaved itself into a rod. Its light filled the room. Wait, another light was behind me…this one warm, and oddly familiar....

I hit the deck as a huge fireball sailed over my head and slammed into Asgore, smacking his body against the Barrier and disorienting him. I turned to meet who it was…

It was Toriel.

“Toriel!” I shouted out. She smiled and wrapped her arms around me.

“Hello again, Frisk.” She smiled quietly and warmly. “Do not worry. You are safe now.”

Asgore slowly got up, not believing his eyes. “Tori...is that you?”

“Do not ‘Tori’ me, you overgrown whelp.” Toriel shot back, venom in her voice.

“Ouch, that’s cold.” Chara remarked in my head.

“Do not be afraid, child. At first, I thought I would leave you to make this journey to Asgore all by yourself, but I could not stop worrying. To leave, you would have to take the life of someone. In this case, it would mean Asgore. And as much of a bastard he is,” Toriel gave Asgore a look, “he deserves some mercy.”

A blue spear came flying into the room, making all three of us scramble. “HEY! Nobody fight!” Another familiar voice. It was Undyne, holding more spears, ready to be thrown. “Or I’ll…” Undyne sighed. “I’ll...I don’t know.”

“Oh, hello. I am Toriel.” Toriel greeted. “Are you the human’s friend? It is very nice to me meet you.”

“Yeah, I guess I am. This kid here managed to beat me in a fight, so I guess that’s what we are. I’m Undyne, by the way.” She walked over to Asgore. “Hey, is that your ex? Harsh, bud.”

“N-nobody fight!” Another voice. Alphys walked in, a strange looking gun in her hand. When she realized nobody was fighting, she got a bit flustered. Toriel greeted her with the same warmth as Undyne.

“YEAH! Nobody fight!” A certain enthusiastic skeleton’s voice. Papyrus walked in. “If anyone fights anyone here, then I’ll...ask Undyne for help!”

“Hello, another friend?” Toriel greeted.

“Hello, your majesty!” Papyrus greeted, then whispered to me, “Human, since when were there two Asgores?”

“hey guys. whaddup.” Sans came in behind Papyrus, holding a cup of warm Snowdin coffee. Toriel seemed shocked by his appearance.

“That voice…” She ran over to Sans. “Oh hello, I think we may know each other?”

Everyone stared as Sans returned the favor of recognition. “oh yeah, you’re that lady behind that really big door thing. i’m sans, sans the skeleton.”

“And I am Toriel.” She greeted. “Wait, if you are Sans, then he…” She gestured to Papyrus. “He must be your brother. Hello! Your brother has told me much about you.”

Papyrus looked like he was suffering from a heart attack. “Wow...I’m so famous even Asgore’s clone knows me…THIS IS THE BEST DAY EVER!”

“Hey, I have a question for you. What do skeletons tile their roof with?” Toriel asked.

Papyrus stood up. “Um...snow proof roof tiles?”

“No. SHIN-gles!” Toriel and Sans started chuckling as Papyrus flipped out, screaming and running around the Barrier room. In the far back corner, a shadow appeared, then disappeared. Gaster was watching. I gave him a nod.

“Hey, Papyrus...I was thinking.” Alphys said. “If you got here after us, how did you know to call us here?”

Papyrus regained his composure for the second time today. “Oh, that? A little flower told me.”

You could feel the temperature in the room drop by ten degrees. “A little..flower?” Alphys squeaked.

SLAM. A huge vine ripped through everyone, binding them all. The thorns cut into my skin.

“Eheheheh…You are all so stupid.”

“Flowey,” I gasped.

“Oh hello. While all of you were having your friendly little meeting, I stole something from you all. Recognize these?” He projected out six heart shapes. The six souls.

“Yeah, I know that you recognize these. And now, not only do I have these souls...but I also have your friends’, as well! And the best part is that it’s all your fault. All this time, you spent making them be your friends. Without that, they would have never come running. But now, with them, I will achieve my true form.”

I struggled against the vines, trying to cut at them with the knife. “Why?” I asked.

“Don’t you realize ‘why,’ Chara? This is all just a story. If you leave, the story’s over. And then, what would I do? But you know what? This story’s not going to end. I’ll hold defeating the big bad in front of your nose, then I’ll snatch it right away. Over, and over, and over again! But listen. If you do defeat me, I’ll give your your little fairy tale ending. But you won’t. Even if that means I have to kill you one million times!”

Rings of bullets surrounded me as Flowey cackled. The bullets slammed again and again into me. They hurt like killer bee stings. I was at my end. I had my SAVE file prepped, ready to rewind…

“FRISK! FRISK! Hold on, we can do this! We’ll have our happy ending!” Chara shouted. I lifted my head up again, holding a brave face. More bullets closed in.

A gust of flame burned the bullets away. A large figure, bleeding golden liquid, stood over me.

“Do not worry, my child. For we will always be there to protect you!” It was Toriel. She had cut through the vine with her magic. 

A warmth spread through me.

Flowey shot more bullets. But they were blocked by a swing of a bone and precise thrusts of a spear. “THAT’S RIGHT! No matter what, just do what I, Papyrus would do. That’s right, human! Believe in you!”

“Hey, kid! If you can defeat me, you can do anything!

The warmth spread further and further, filling me.

Flowey threw more and more pellets. But they traveled slower, as if the space was incredibly long. Before they reached us, they were burned away and blasted by a ray of light. Alphys put her back against us.

“Technically speaking, our odds of victory are zero. But I don’t think zero will stop us today!” Alphys put on a brave face.

“cmon, kid. you haven't beaten this nerd yet? jeez, you’re making me get off my butt for once.” Sans winked at me, the wink that told me he knew more than he was letting on.

“Human. For the hopes and dreams of all humans and monsters combined, you have to stay determined!” Asgore readied himself, flames surrounding him. A single fireball lit up a torch marked “Emergency Summons.” The holder refracted the torchlight to the ceiling of the cave. Far away, a horn, probably audible through the Underground, blowed.

The warmth bristled.

“Yeah! Get ‘em, boss!”

“Kid, you can do it!”

“Come on! Let’s get this damn weed!”

“We’re going to see that surface, no matter what it takes!”

When Asgore lit the torch, the monsters all came running. Thousands of monsters filled the Barrier room, all bristling with magical energy. Their numbers were of a magnitude far greater than I ever thought.

“You against the population of the Underground. Thirty one thousand, four hundred and fifteen.” Asgore growled.

I was overflowing with DETERMINATION.

“No way…” Flowey squeaked. “You are are all…”

“...such IDIOTS.” Flowey’s face changed, as he ripped vines through all of them, draining away their souls. “I can’t believe you just gave all these souls to me! Hahahahaha!”

“No! Frisk! Frisk!” Chara cried out, being ripped away from me, out of my necklace and into Flowey.

“Chara! CHARA! Come back!” I screamed. But it was too late. She was absorbed into Flowey, as everything went dark.


	36. Chapter 33: Edge of the World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stay...determined?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's so cold.

### Chapter 33: Edge of the World

It's so cold.

Everything was dark. I was curled up on the floor of the cavern.

"Chara?" I asked. But no glow, no voice.

"Chara? Bro? Sis?" I asked again. No light.

"Asgore? Toriel? Sans, Papyrus, Undyne, Alphys, Mettaton?" I asked once more. Nothingness.

"Gaster?"

Dark, darker, yet darker. The darkness felt alive, growing. The shadows cut like an icy knife. I held my hand out and remembered an old Chinese saying that described darkness.

"Hold your hand out and you can't even see your fingers."

I cried into the darkness. I sobbed. I screamed for what must have been minutes. There was no hope. There was no light. They were gone, gone, absorbed by Flowey. My emotions fluctuated between anger, hysteria, and crushing depression.

"Frisk."

I turned around. "Hello?"

"Hello." A tall, middle-aged Asian man carrying a briefcase walked out of the shadows. My dad.

"Dad…" I collapsed into him as he supported me. "How are you even here?"

"I made a promise, my little luck charm _._ " The name my dad always called me. "Our family. We all did. We knew we would die, all of us. Sometimes the old oracles speak the truth."

"How?" I asked. "How did you know?"

"When your mother was pregnant with you, we went to an old oracle. One who was known for never being wrong. She told us...she told us, down to the day, that we as your family would have to make an important decision, each one of us. Should we choose for you to live, you would achieve greatness. Should we choose ourselves to live, we would live on. But you would die."

"The ultrasound very clearly showed that you had your umbilical cord wrapped around your neck. There was no way for you to be born without being strangled the moment you came out. Your mother chose the C-section. She...she couldn't take it."

He sighed, and sat down on his briefcase. "Me...my choice came when a drunk driver was speeding towards us. You would have for sure died, had I not rotated the car just well enough so that the crash was furthest from you. You were asleep at the time, and the impact knocked you out. And, of course, I asked your brother, and he said yes. You know what happened afterwards with Chara and Gaster. Two very fine people, to be frank."

He looked up, up to the _nothingness._ The _nothingness_ cracked, and shattered. When I looked back down, I saw him pointing a pen, his favorite pen, at the hole in the _nothing._ "But, as the popular saying goes," he spoke, "there is a time and place for everything. It may be today. It may be tomorrow. It may be out of your reach. And our meeting must end, however abrupt it was. Go, _YunQi._ " My Chinese name. "Go. Save your family is out there, with them now. We will be fine, family surname means dragon, and you have grown to bear it proudly, luck dragon. Go."

He saluted. In black feathers, his form blew away, leaving a trace of a purple heart, which faded. A pen clattered on the ground. His favorite pen, even with the little notch in it when I banged it against the wall as a baby. I picked it up. His words echoed.

" _Go…"_

And so I went, carrying my father's sacred memento. Black feathers lined out a path for me to follow.

* * *

To say the road was narrow and steep would be an understatement, as I gasped and panted, but I eventually made it...to the peak of Mount Ebott?

What?

It was Ebott, alright. Beautiful stars that no one dared appreciate. Soft, green grass that was untread by mankind. Trees full of birds.

Wait. Something was off.

There were no birds.

There we no city lights.

Just Ebott. And me. And someone else. It looked like a monster child.

The monster child got up. "Ah," he spoke. "It's so nice to have a body again."

He turned around. "Howdy, Frisk. And you too, Chara. Pity it's just an illusion, isn't it? All fake. It's like that day. I tried to copy what we came home to. Great job breaking out, by the way."

The necklace remained dormant. There was no Chara to be seen. "Oh, sorry. Manners maketh man, as humans say, right, Chara? Sorry for not introducing myself, Frisk. It must all seem so...strange to you."

Wait, hold on. If he's the last thing in the Underground, and he looked like this, then...I added two and two together, and was getting seven.

"Howdy! My name is Flowey! Otherwise known as..."

The monster child rippled with light. The world followed suit, as it pulled at the seams. His form burst into a large, adult monster, seven feet tall, impressive horns. Very bright. Too bright.

"Asriel Dreemurr."

Two and two WAS seven. The world pulled apart.

And the stars fell.

* * *

Dodge, left right. It's all yourself now, Frisk. No assistance from Chara. All you, all me.

Those thoughts ran in my mind as Asriel hurled stars, rainbows, and lightning at me, all while trying not to get distracted by the rainbows and Asriel.

"You know, I really don't care about anything anymore. I just want to erase everything."

God, he was distracting. I swear I'm not a furry. He was just loud...and literally glowing. My eyes hurt looking at him. I was covered in sweat.

"Everything, you hear me. I'll bring it all back to zero!"

Don't listen to him. Keep dodging, don't stop. Hold onto the pen. Hold onto your necklace, the two sacred mementos. Hold on to your hopes. Hold onto their hopes. Dream of a future, together with the monsters. I was gasping for breath. Curse my collapsed lung.

My wounds healed, and Asriel's constant onslaught of stars hurt less.

"Oh?" He questioned. "If you're going to be such a tough nut…"

He dashed forward, too quick for me to trace. In an instant, he was at my throat, slashing away with two longswords. "I guess I'll just have to try harder, won't I?"

Too close.

He hit me once, twice, three times, then threw his sword away, grabbing me by the shirt collar and throwing me into the air, blasting me with a rainbow cannon. My flesh peeled away at the light. I burned. I screamed.

I died.

I died...?

…

No.

I simply refused to die.

"For Asgore." I whispered. I felt myself come back from the brink of death, my body piecing itself back together again. I dropped back on the dew-drenched ground, ready to continue.

He looked at me with mild surprise. "You still stand?" He went at me again, a storm of galactic wonders and Technicolor lights. But this time I was more prepared.

"For Asgore," I said, a little louder than the last. "For Toriel, Sans, Papyrus, Undyne, Alphys, and Chara!"

This refusal to submit to the end...Asriel started trying a new tactic, which mostly comprised of getting me into the air, where I would be vulnerable.

_Crack._ Despite what good efforts I tried, Asriel still managed to catch me with a sequence of good hits. I died.

And then I refused. Again, I refused to die. The refusal to submit to the end...I was overflowing with determination. The power to keep going even when nothing is left.

I will live. I had to live. Too many, too many have given up their own lives on my behalf. And I felt like more would, too. But I would kept that number at a minimum. And suddenly, the odds turned in my favor.

Asriel knew it, too. His attacks got more complex, weaving in a sneaky blast as he kept forcing me to dodge unfavorably. But right now, as Undyne would have said, "I can feel all the hopes and dreams of monsters beating as one."

I was, simply put, undefeatable. No matter what Asriel threw, no matter how great the attack, I simply could not die. I would not die.

"Even after all of that, you're still not dead…?" Asriel asked. "No matter. I haven't even used the full extent of my power!"

Asriel created a black hole, where he began sucking in the universe. Once again, my necklace began glowing, not from Chara, but from me. My own sheer power I had just unlocked. My power that could rival Asriel's. This newfound power helped me stand my ground against Asriel's black hole. My body screamed in pain. But I refused to give in.

The illusion of the surface ripped away, to shreds, into darkness. I was trapped in a box of sorts. Asriel was there as well, assuming the form of a huge winged demon-looking creature.

"This is the full extent of my power. Burn in despair."

I couldn't move. I was stuck. And try as I might, my power didn't help.


	37. Chapter 34: I'll Save Them All!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Determination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Four.

### Chapter 34: I'll Save Them All!

"I am the God of Hyperdeath! Bow to my power!" Asriel shouted.

He went from simple stars to entire galaxies, comets, and many, many celestial bodies. All of which I had no chance of dodging.

I died.

I refused.

I struggled against my bonds. Nothing.

Die.

Refuse.

Asriel taunted. "I can feel it. Every time you die, a little bit of you slips away. Soon, you'll forget everything. This will serve you well in the next life!"

Again, a struggle against my bonds. Nothing.

Again, a torrent of celestial bodies. Ursa Major, Minor, the Dippers, Polaris, everything.

Die.

Refuse.

More taunting. "Still you stand? Don't you realize it's hopeless?"

It was. I struggled. I tried to LOAD up my SAVE. It didn't work.

But, maybe...as I looked at my dad's pen, in my pocket, and the heart necklace…

Maybe I could SAVE something else.

I could SAVE them. I could SAVE them all. Toriel, Sans, Papyrus, Undyne, Alphys, Asgore, Chara. And, through them, everyone else.

In that instant, a brilliant flash of light. Red. Orange. Yellow. Green. Blue. Indigo. Violet. It melted away the darkness, melted away the bonds that I was being restrained by. Power surged inside of me. A power that made my abilities of un-death seem trivial.

"I'll save them." I whispered. "I'll save them all."

I reached out towards Asriel. I heard their voices. I grabbed one of them.

And instantly, the world around me melted away, replaced by me and a lost soul.

* * *

The Lost Soul was directly in front of me. I could tell it was Toriel. I wasn't sure how, but I knew. Maybe the way it stood, the way it emitted its quiet glow.

How? How would I SAVE them?

Memories. The memories we so cherished, the way Chara taught me how to SAVE.

"Remember the moment, remember the warmth."

I talked to her about the week I spent with her. She shuddered, in sadness, as I described to her the flower patch, and what she told me.

But it wasn't enough.

"I've just been trying to replace her," Toriel said. She wreathed me in serpentine flames, much like our quarrel we had, together. But I knew how to dodge these. Unlike the Toriel I fought before, she was methodical. Emotionless. Mechanical. Her attacks had an order about them, an order that I picked out.

I dropped my weapon, much like that day that we fought. I ran up to her, and gave her a hug, just like how she gave me.

She paused. Then, she spoke. "I lost everything." Again, a wave of depression and reminiscence. Again, the sheets of flame that I easily dodged.

"But mom...you still have me." I whispered into her ear.

And suddenly, her memories flooded back.

Now, she hugged me. "Yes, yes I do. Go, child. I'll try to save all the monsters I can, just like you did. Go. There are others you have to save."

I agreed, as I moved on to the next.

* * *

I called out again, and someone came.

Apathy. Pure apathy hit me like a wall. It wasn't like Toriel's grief, it was a nihilism that smothered like wool. Okay. Maybe there were tints of grief.

Dig. Dig for the soul.

Soul…?

No. Two souls. One glowing brightly, the other one very faint. Something told me they were Papyrus and Sans.

"heya, kid. why try so hard?" the dimmer one said.

"I will capture a human! I must capture a human!" the brighter one said.

"Why am I trying so hard, Sans?" I said. "I..don't know."

"everything's gonna be wiped anyways, kid." he said. "nothing in life matters anymore."

This seemed to cause a bit of...resonance, maybe, with Papyrus' soul. A twinge of something. But Papyrus kept talking. The apathy was still here, biting into me.

"Money, power, fortune, and fame!" he shouted.

Sans stared right at me. "and you know what, kid? you caused it all."

I wrapped my arms around Sans. Papyrus involuntarily took the cue to hug his brother as well.

"So, how do you two still think of me?" I asked.

"I...think you're cool, human! There's no way I'll capture you!" Papyrus shouted, as his memories flooded back.

"nah, kid. i'll still cheer for ya." Sans said, muffled between Papyrus and I. "keep at it, kid. we're almost to the end."

"In the meantime, Sans, let us go save Snowdin!" Papyrus shouted. He picked up Sans and ran off.

More souls to save.

* * *

Again, calling out into the depths of Asriel's soul.

Nothing…?

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

A Lost Soul hit me head-on, like a truck, bowling me over. It grabbed me, it threw me, it beat me nearly to death. I held a hand up for it to stop as it radiated fury.

"Why are you doing this? Stop!" I shouted.

"You're the enemy! You're the one keeping us locked miles under this stupid mountain!" it shouted back.

Looks like I found Undyne.

She threw spear after spear directly at me, forcing me to dodge and run. It wasn't the Undyne that I fought, however, the veritable one-monster phalanx that blot the sun out with her spears. This one was predictable. Methodical. But still, deadly.

"Undyne! Calm down!" I shouted. "Can we, uh, finish our cooking lesson instead?" I winced. Undyne did as well. The spears dissipated.

"Kid. What the heck are you?" she asked.

"Just a human." I answered. "No murders. No kills."

"What about the monsters, though?" she asked. "Who's the one that will free them? They deserve more."

"They do." I answered. "And trust me. I'll make it all right, Undyne. I'll save everyone."

And in that moment, Undyne returned, with a huge, shark-toothed grin. "I believe you, punk. Go get 'em!"

She ran off, to save the ones she had to save. I smiled.

Once more into the breach...

* * *

Once more. Deeper. I had to really get my metaphorical hands dirty with this one.

A weak glimmer shone. Quickly, I extracted it out. It was a boss monster soul, without a doubt. But it for some reason kept trying to hide itself. When I reached towards it, the soul shirked from my hand. It kept trying to reduce its presence, kept trying to mask itself as an ordinary monster's soul.

"Come out," I whispered to it. "You don't have to hide. I'm here to help."

"No." it squeaked. "I did the unforgivable. I should never have agreed."

I knew it was Alphys. I reached to her, but she shied away from my hand. "Don't. You're wasting your efforts."

"I'm not, Alphys. And you're okay now. You told the world."

"I don't know if they forgave me…" Alphys muttered.

"Hey, it looks like the Amalgamates forgave you." I replied. "Besides. I don't think any of us care."

"What if they're just...putting up a front? Like I do?"

"Trust me, Alphys." I smiled. "I think they're much happier you sent them home. They must miss their families so much. You chose the right thing to do."

The fog surrounding her soul blew away as Alphys stood up to meet my eyes. "You're right." she said. "Let's finish up what we came here to do."

Alphys trudged away, leaving me alone.

Two left.

* * *

I called out again. Who was there?

A large soul lumbered forth, clothed in regal robes, carrying a regal sadness. It raised its arm, painfully, slowly, and let a wave of fire out, blasting across me. I was thrown back a few feet by the sheer magical force, but then, with surprising speed, it lashed out, again and again with a trident it produced.

"Stop!" I yelled. I could only bet on or sparing me somewhat.

But by some miracle, it stopped and put its trident down. "Toriel...I'm sorry." it rumbled. "But this must be done."

I think this was Asgore. No, I was sure of it. But how would I reach out to him? How could I reach out to Asgore? I didn't even know him. I didn't have any interaction, or anything. But maybe I did. How much could I glean from just a few minutes of knowing Asgore? He missed his family. He doesn't want to kill me. But he feel like he has to kill me.

"Can we...not fight?" I asked him.

He shifted his weight. Then he rumbled, "No. I have to do this. I promised the monsters."

"But there is another way!" I shouted. "I have the other way!"

"There is." Asgore admitted. "But that method...I do not want it."

"But there is a method - and no one has to die. I know it! I can help you all do it!" I shouted back. It shook his spirit, and I could see it quiver in the void as it resisted the flow of memories. But finally, it broke, and a flood of memories returned as Asgore, the king of monsters, kneeled before me.

"Child. No, Frisk." he said. "If what you say is true, then...I will do everything in my power to help you in this mission."

"There's a few left to save." I told him.

"Then, who is next for you?" he asked.

"Chara." I answered.

He nodded. "To each their own." he said.

I nodded back as I already reached for the next soul.

* * *

I called out again. I couldn't feel Chara's soul. But I knew it was there.

Slowly, slowly, I coaxed it out. And now, we faced each other.

"Chara." I said. Great opening word there.

"Go away." she said. "I don't deserve this. I caused it all."

"But-" I began. Then Chara cut me off by conjuring a spectral red knife and throwing it at me, just barely grazing my shoulder. An act of magic.

"Go away!" she snarled. Her eyes glowed a deep red. "I deserve this for everything I tried to do! I'll kill you, just like I killed those others! I'll slaughter you like the monster I am!"

"Chara, stop-" I began, but the knife flew back into her hand as she pulled out a few coins from her pocket and threw them into the air, where they floated, suspended by a red glow.

"Go. Away." she growled. Then she flung the coins at me, faster than any monster's attack. I prepared to dodge, but they all curved around me, like we were playing chicken. "I said. Go. Away." Chara repeated, louder this time.

"No. I'm not leaving you, sis." I replied to her comment. Chara winced, and the glow faded from her eyes for a second, before returning. "Do I not make myself clear? Go away. I failed. I failed as your big sister."

"No." I said, more forcefully this time. "You didn't fail. Not yet. Please, Chara."

"I said. I. Failed. I failed to protect every single sibling I ever fucking had. I'm a selfish and greedy piece of shit in the end. I became exactly what they wanted." Chara spat.

"No, Chara. You didn't become what they wanted!" I cried out as I flung myself at her, hugging her as tightly as I could. "You...succeeded. You protected me, Chara. Dad said so."

"Do not mention dad!" Chara shouted, shoving me away and throwing me to the floor. "You barely knew him!" She raised the knife, high above her head, and brought it down towards my neck as she held me to the floor with her knee on my chest.

Then, she stopped. The red glow faded from her eyes as the conjured spectral red knife clattered to the floor, and dissipated. "No. What am I doing?" Chara asked. "What did I do? Frisk, I'm so sorry, I…" Chara was at a loss of words as she gathered herself and let me up. "I wasn't myself! I could have killed you and I nearly did and-"

"It's fine." I smiled.

"It's fine?" she asked.

"It's fine." I once again hugged Chara as she bursted into tears oh my shoulder, sobbing violently into me. I gave her comforting pats as she hiccuped from the sobs.

"I'm so weak." Chara said.

"No you're not," I replied. "I look up to you. You're strong."

She wiped her eyes. "Thank you, sister. I'm sure we have business left, right?"

"We do." I said. "We have to save the world."

"I have the last key in your memory, Frisk." Chara said, as she held out her hand, a red pill in her palm and a bluish pill in the other hand, though still glowing red.

"Are you kidding me." I told Chara. She had a nice laugh over that one.

"Nah, that's illusion magic. I can do combat magic much better." Chara replied. I agreed with that statement. "The monsters taught me magic. And now, you will know as well. Everything you need to know to...well, the memories will tell you. And so much more."

Chara placed her hand on my head.

I swear she looked mournful. Like someone was about to die, and she couldn't stop it.


	38. Chapter 35: Revalations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To each their own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three.

### Chapter 35: Revalations

Chara's hand hit my forehead, and everything exploded.

The loops. The everything.

Everything returned.

Everything.

All the past loops, all of them.

Three hundred times I have been here. Three hundred times I have fought all of my friends. So many names I went by. So much time has passed, I wasn't twelve, actually. I was thirteen. I originally fell around October, not February. It didn't matter.

Because all of them, every loop, every other Frisk burned with a single desire: Save Him. Save Asriel.

This desire, this command: it seared itself into my mind. It converted itself into the stuff of the soul.

Ether.

Ether, simply put, was memories infused with emotions. If I looped three hundred times, enough to make one soul, while erasing my memories, or rather, the emotional significance of them, I would have three hundred loops' worth of undistilled ether. And ether, surrounded by a shell of some sort, made a soul.

I was making a soul. I was giving life. Up until now I may have added it up together, but now it felt so real. So heavy. The burning on my soul, which I had come after my epiphany to realize as the slow mixture between magic and determination, finally fused together into one piece.

It burned. Yet at the same time it froze. It made me close my eyes in the shock and pain, yet it also opened my eyes, in a way.

So many theories, so much soulology. I understood it. I understood it all.

The world went white.

* * *

Flowers.

Golden flowers. A grassy meadow. Blue skies, white clouds. Me on the ground.

I slowly got up. Someone else was here. This felt like a memory. But it wasn't. Because I could never feel "someone else."

"Who's there?" I asked.

The figure turned. It was the figure of a Caucasian woman in her thirties. She was in a white T-Shirt, much like Sans. Two red hair clips in her hair. But she wasn't just any woman. That light brown hair, those weirdly colored reddish-brown eyes, the figure…looked a little like Chara. But it was too old. I swore, though, that I knew her from photos...

"Take a guess." she asked.

"Mom?" I asked. She smiled. Her smile was like the sun just came out on a cloudy day. It lit up everything. Angels would have envied her for that smile.

"Yes." she answered. I collapsed, sobbing. She supported me. She smelled like flowers and fresh baked cookies. I let myself stay that way for a bit, as I tried to get myself back together.

"Look at you, Fortune. Look at how much you've grown." she whispered. "It's a pity I couldn't be there for you. I had to die early so you could live."

"Mom…" I blubbered in her arms. Her arms felt vaguely familiar. Maybe something like Chara's arms, the few moments she showed softness.

"But," she said, a twinge of regret in her voice, "I can't stay long. As we speak, Asriel is still out there, with the souls of your friends. Your sibling is out there, holding Asriel off for as she can. Or he."

She laughed, and the sound resonated like church bells. "I'm honestly not sure what to call your sibling, actually. She's actually part of my family tree, in two separate locations. One as some far off cousin, the other as my child. In any case, you know the deal."

The deal in question was that I needed a monster soul in order to, well, save Asriel. Even though I had a bit of magic in me, as well as a high magical attunement, I still didn't have the power necessary to bring someone back from the dead. I needed a powerful magic to aggregate the ether into a soul. It was a proven law of equivalent exchange: To save a life, I needed to take a life. I nodded.

"I can't stay much longer, Frisk." Mom said. "So, here. Take this, and remember me. I'll be there to help."

She took off her two red hair clips and stuck one in my hair, the other in my hand. "Take care, Frisk. Give that one to Chara for me okay? She'd love it." she said.

I could only mumble. "Take care, mom."

She smiled back at me. "The Dreemurrs, by the way? Including Chara, who must be very confusing to you. They're a great bunch. All very good people. You're in good hands, Frisk. I think...this is the happiest ending we could hope for."

She laughed. "It was nice finally being able to talk to you, face to face, Frisk."

She saluted and swept away in a breeze of lilac petals, leaving behind a green heart that faded as well. The place we were crumbled away, until I was in a box of white, with Gaster.

" **You know what must be done."** he said. " **Take. And follow the trail I have left. Use my power. Follow the notebook."**

He stretched out his arms, and an upside-down white heart flickered into existence above his hands.

I hesitated. I was about to take the soul of someone. Was this killing? Would I be gaining this "Level of Violence?" I knew it corrupted people. I knew it bent people's morality. It was power, alright. But the power was scary.

" **Take. I will have fulfilled my duty."** Gaster spoke. He had no sign of pain, simply just a blissful expression, like a willful sacrifice who had come to terms with his end and knew that his death would lead to a greater tomorrow. I nodded. He nodded back. I stretched my hand out.

I took the heart.

Instantly an icy hot sensation rippled through my body. A wave of a mysterious, arcane energy filled my mind. Gaster's power filled me. But contrary to what I thought, which was something that would be agonizing as it forced my way into my soul, it warmly settled around my soul. My fingers bristled with a strange energy. My mind filled with arcane knowledge, and Gaster's knowledge that he chose to store in his soul. The hairs on my neck stood up, like there was static in the air.

I could see everything. I could see the souls, the colors of magic, even the weird "buttons" that Chara talked about once, though quite hard to describe. But that didn't matter. Especially not the buttons.

This was the fabled supernatural power to shape the universe. Something only few humans felt, and something lost to humanity.

I collapsed over in the sheer magnitude of what just happened. Gaster did, as well. Though it probably wasn't due to shock. Gaster was fading, quickly. His body was dissolving into dust. I could see the magic, the determination, leaving his body. But he stood back up. When he spoke, his voice was normal. No strange language. Just...a tone of bittersweetness. Behind a very teenage male-sounding voice.

"Tell Chara...I'm sorry for what I did, okay? In the end...she was a great partner. Always."

"I promise I will." I replied.

Gaster smiled his last, as for a second, his figure flashing to Jeffrey's for a second.

"Later, sis." he said.

Those were his last words as he faded away, slowly, to dust.

"Later, bro." I whispered to the dust pile in front of me, as an unseen wind blew it away.

There were no tears. Just a sort of silent respect.

I cracked my knuckles. Now was time for my first magical act. The knowledge Gaster left in his soul was decaying. Quickly. Guided by the knowledge falling away, being assimilated by my soul, I raised my hand. And for the first time in my life, I spoke in the language of magic. Crowned by humans as the language of dragons and wizards, alchemists and sorcerers. Quite a beautiful language.

The words I said were indescribable and fled my mind as I said them, but I said them nonetheless. The words to break illusions. The sound of rushing weather filled my ears, and what felt like an undertow current dragged me away, into a feeling of water. Then, it spewed me back out.

I had returned to the final battle against Asriel.


	39. Chapter 36: The Savior, Frisk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our finale.

### Chapter 36: The Savior, Frisk

My senses suddenly came flooding back as Asriel’s “reality” returned to me. 

Only one phrase was on my lips.

“I’ll save you too, Asriel.”

I reached out to him. I was finally fused completely with the magic in the world. Gaster guided my hand. Gaster’s magical sight became my sight. I was now a fully-fledged magician. And, as his soul deconstructed in mine, the last traces of who Gaster was faded, I much less cast a spell with words and gestures, and more let my soul burst out into what it knew it had to do. It began casting something that didn’t feel like magic, as when I used magic inside of the illusion. That was more like the universe flowing through my body. This was more like me using the innate force of my soul to shift the universe. Something internal, like my soul became the wellspring of power.

The universe around me felt like it began to shift. It didn’t appear different, yet it felt like now I was surrounded by color, by light. Then, as the feeling grew stronger, I realized it was exactly that. The lights shone like the stars in the night sky on top of Mount Ebott. The light emitted no real heat, yet it warmed my soul. Just looking at it brought back good memories. Memories of family. Of happiness and joy and peace. Then I realized those lights were exactly that: good memories. Hopes and dreams. My soul pulsed in space, faintly resonating in the dark void, surrounded by color, creating what manifested itself as music. It solemnly played the one song that was attributed to who I was affixed on: His theme.

It was small. It was the sound of a music box: light, delicate, yet there was something about it that carried weight. Something that made people stop and listen. And it made Asriel stop for a moment. It made his soul open up once again.

Through that opening, I shared with him...everything. I shared with him my pain of losing my family, losing my sibling, my own loneliness, as well as every speck of joy, anguish, love, peace I had found across my journey. I was gloomy before my fall. I was stubborn. I was lonely. I needed a lot of help, always. I could never really let go. I was weak, physically. I was always on the fringes of society. An outcast, I guess. But that didn’t stop me from trying. Asriel’s soul rippled, ever so slightly.   
“What…” he whispered.

“Asriel.” I spoke. “I have something to show you.”

And then I called out. I knew I could not pacify Asriel alone, even if I did have Gaster’s magical power still with me, his soul still warm like a fireplace within me. His hand nudging along my hand. And something else, too, edged me on. I needed my friends. I needed them.

Chara was the first to come, with the sound of the cello. Tragic and yet hopeful. She also shared with Asriel her gratitude for what he did for her, as well as her forgiveness for Asriel’s failures and a love that only siblings have for each other. She shared how she never was the best of people. She shared everything she shared with me, down that path on New Home. Asriel taught her love again, and she felt that although he failed, it wasn’t his fault.  _ They  _ failed. All the monsters wanted was for Chara to live. Her soul was similarly wreathed in the light mine was. Her happy memories of kinship, and siblings. She remembered her brother. She remembered Asriel. She remembered me.

“What are you doing to me?” Asriel asked. “Why?”

“Because I love you, Asriel.” Chara whispered. “Because we want you home.” And we called out.

Asgore and Toriel answered my call, Toriel’s resonating soul adding the caring sound of the clarinet, and Asgore with the sound of the trombone. Their souls came, to each their own, wreathed in color. Both calling out, with all of the good family moments. Every festival. Every meal. Every last moment they spent together.

“If you really knew what was good, you wouldn't stop me!” Asriel shouted.

“I thought the same way, son.” Asgore said. “And I was wrong.”

Together, we evoked the rest of my friends. Sans, with memories of Asriel and Chara under his care. Papyrus, with sheer beaming optimism. Undyne, with the understanding she reached with me. Alphys, free from her prison of fear. We all with one beat pulsed our souls.

Waves of color weaved through space as monster after monster answered our call. From the crumbling ruins, to the cold frigidness of Snowdin, to the wet marshes of Waterfall, to the sweltering heat of Hotland, through the peace of New Home, they came, all thirty-one thousand, four hundred and fifteen behind me. All of their souls rippled with their streaks of light, their memories. All of them gathered behind my back, tracing, shaping, outlining an intricate, colossal, beating pair of wings. The power of their souls flooded into me, making my fingertips bristle with power. I bowed my head in a sort of prayer, reaching out to Asriel. In the void we were floating in, which had become more of a black pool of water, I could see my reflection, and my pair of wings, of which beautiful would be the name to describe. My eyes weren’t the typical hazel I normally had. They were blazing gold.

The monsters knew what this meant. Chara knew what this meant. I knew what this meant. With this power at my fingertips, I felt like I could accomplish anything. This power made my previous powers of undeath a speck of dust in comparison. I was the prophecy. I was the angel of the Underground now. And I was here to fulfill my sacred task.

Together, we spoke. “We’ll save you, Asriel.”

I moved towards Asriel as he shouted. “Stop! Stop! I’ll tear you to shreds!” But that didn't matter. I kept moving forwards, continually gaining power as monster after monster poured their power into me. Our hearts beat as one. We pulsed into Asriel. Something inside of him started breaking.

“Do...do you realize why I did this, Frisk?” Asriel spoke. “I know I can fix this. I can fix it all. I can reset the time, to when we were all happy, together.”

“That won’t be necessary.” I said. “We can have our happy ending without that.” I reached out a hand. Asriel shied away from it.

“No. It’s not just that. I...I care about Chara. I care about her more than anyone else. I just did everything...so she could be happy.” Asriel said. “And I care about you too, Frisk. You saved everyone. You deserve a happy ending. So please. Let me burn the pages of the book. Let me erase it all.”

His body rippled with its own magical light, as in his hands he charged up a single, powerful attack. I flew back, as I began charging my shield for what would no doubt be a magical tug-of-war. “Frisk!” Asriel shouted. “Please, let me win!”

He launched a searing cone of rainbow colored light, me barely putting the shield up in time to defend myself from the blast. Both of our wings burned with magical color. Time and space wore down, the fabric of space-time almost fraying, before at the site of our collision of power, it ripped open, sucking everything into a single, infinite point, both me and Asriel still battling toe-to-toe inside of it.

Then, it burst again, expelling the universe back to where it belonged in regular space.

And I was losing the tug of war. My wings were in a shell in front of me, barely holding out from Asriel’s immense power. In desperation, I called out. Was there someone else out there? There had to be.

Something-I could feel it, some eldrich power, gave me a little bit of power. A bloody red heart, very faint, flowed next to my necklace. It wasn't Chara. But it felt similar. Who was it? Who?

There wasn’t time. I was still losing. And together, we called out once more. That call, unfortunately, was ripped away by Asriel’s power, spiraling off like a scrap of paper in the jet stream.

So we called again. We searched, we sifted through every last bit of space and time. We couldn't find any help. In desperation, again, we flung our call out. We flung it to you. You, the one who had followed me throughout my journey. You, the one who always hoped I would stay safe, the one that laughed when I laughed, the one that cried when I cried, the one who shared my confusion and my doubts, but also emphasized with my hopes and dreams. You, the one who wanted to see the monsters free as well.

Your realization was enough to tip the scales just enough. With the last bits of power you gave, I pushed back with everything I had against Asriel.

“Stop!” he cried out. “Stop it now!”

“Asriel!” I shouted. “We’re coming for you!”

In one pulse together, we exhausted every last bit of power we had, as Asriel did the same. The world around us seared burning white, as the combined force of us all pushed against the tides of Asriel’s power. Monster souls broke away, one by one, as they ran dry on power. I could tell Asriel’s might was subsiding as well. My wings beat, and with every beat, more light flooded the world.

I took a step forward against the howling power, slowly at first. Then, gritting my teeth, I walked, step, by step, by step, towards him. The power of hope and determination pushed me on, step, by step, by step.

One by one, the monsters had to break away, bidding a sorrowful farewell. But they left their power in my hands. To every monster, I gave them a salute as I pressed against the titanic power of Asriel, marching forwards, bit, by bit, by bit.

I could feel my wings were fading quickly. But I could also feel Asriel was losing control. With one hand, I reached out towards him, letting down my guard. Asriel’s power burned. It hurt. But the pain didn't matter. We would do this.

Inch, by inch, by inch, I stretched out my wings. He slammed his power into me, again and again, desperately trying to shove me away. But it didn't matter.

My wings closed around Asriel’s form as I put a single hand on him, shocking him out of his assault. Then, I put my second hand on him, around his waist, as I wrapped my wings around his body.

“Asriel.” I whispered, him in my arms. “You’re just lonely, right?” I asked. The monsters rippled in agreement. Thirty-one thousand, four hundred and fifteen monsters projected the feeling of comfort and home to Asriel. Both of our powers were fading. My wings and his god form were slowly disintegrating into white, glowing sand as the souls couldn't give us any more power.

Asriel waited for a few seconds, then clung to me and started crying. “I’m sorry.” he whimpered. “I just wanted Chara back.” Our god forms faded and blew away as we hugged, him still quietly sobbing.


	40. Chapter 37: New Leaves

### Chapter 37: New Leaves

We hugged for what must have been entire minutes, him sobbing into me, as I patted his furry anthropomorphic goat-dog-dragon body. His grip tightened a few times around my waist. I stroked his long, soft ears, like two pieces of shaggy comforter hanging off of the sides of his head. I brushed the top portion of his head, the part left longer to have the appearance of fur. I faintly recalled old memories: three hundred times more, I had done this, again, and again, and again.

And like the three hundred times, I still felt every last bit of protection over Asriel. And like the three hundred times, he released his grip and stepped back.

"I'm sorry." Asriel spoke, although he had done so already, three hundred times.

"It's fine." I replied. Just like I said three hundred more times in the past.

"For everything, I mean." Asriel apologized. "Everything I did to you. From when I tried to kill you when you just fell down, to just...then. You're saying that's all...fine."

I nodded. A gesture I had done, three hundred more times, to the exact same statement.

For the three hundredth time, I listened to him speak about how he was as a flower. How he had no emotion, because he had no soul. And how he did many, many unforgivable things during his time as a flower. He winced as he listed every grievance he committed, and how it was ultimately fine if I didn't forgive him.

And, like three hundred times before, I forgave him. And like three hundred times…

"Even if you did save me, Frisk, I still can't stay." Asriel began. "I don't have a soul of my own. I'll have to return these souls, and then, I'll...just go back to being a flower again."

This time, however, was different.

"Asriel." I said. "What if it doesn't have to be this way? What if you can have your own soul again? Not someone else's soul, but a soul that you can claim?"

Asriel's eyes brightened, for a moment. "That's too good to be true, isn't it?"

"It isn't." I smiled. "There's direct proof. Chara?"

Chara had been creeping up behind Asriel the entire time we were talking. When I gave her the cue, she grabbed Asriel by the waist and lifted him into the air. Asriel let out a surprised bleat.

"Aah! Put me down, Chara!" he yelled.

"Nah." Chara's muffled voice came from the back. "I'm just gonna keep you in the air the entire time." Still, she set Asriel down.

"Is that proof enough?" I asked Asriel.

"I'll...give it a try, I guess." Asriel said. "But first…"

"We have something very important to do." The three of us spoke in unison. We smiled at each other, and as if scripted, we all put our veritable hands, one on top of each other, as we poured out magical power, together with every single soul, beating in unison. Together, we all set our sights on one object:

"The Barrier." All thirty one thousand, four hundred and twenty four involved in this spoke. Together, like a great cannon of sorts, we swung our magical focus onto the Barrier. Energy built up, higher, and higher, until the air itself was filled with the swirling howl of magic itself.

"Frisk?" Asriel asked. "When you're ready."

I gave myself a countdown, as I hung onto this moment of magic. "In three, two, one."

I let slip the magic as it howled and streaked towards the Barrier, taking the shape of a flaming hawk mid-flight, spiraling as it set out to accomplish its duty. It smashed into the Barrier, shattering it into fine, glowing white shards, as the hawk flew on, flying circles around Ebott, before returning back to the cave of the Underground. It gave us a little squawk, its body still emitting particles of light.

"Now's the fun part." Chara said, as she stretched out a little. "Let's bring two dead people fully back to life." Chara conjured her dagger as she neatly made a small incision into my fingertip, as I called forth the memories of three hundred loops. I really only needed 299, though. The three hundredth existed as a keepsake.

Chara brought out a heart-shaped locket and put it around her own neck. Asriel seemed surprised.

"You still kept that, Chara?" he asked.

"No. I went back to pick it up. Right where it belongs, don't you think?" Chara replied. "Frisk, I'm ready."

In Chara's hands, there was a small pool of my blood for her physical body, and in my hands, there was a swirling mass of light. As I chanted the immeasurably complex spell Gaster wrote into the very last fibers of his being left inside me, his soul nearly gone and completely absorbed by mine, the hawk returned to its previous state of swirling magic, as it coalesced around the blood and the light in my hands. Slowly, I felt the impact behind the previous 299 loops fade away. I still remembered their events, but I felt indifference towards all that happened.

" **It is finished."** I thought I heard Gaster sigh.

And slowly, the swirling gradually slowed, as Chara let the pool of blood drip on the floor, it rising in red vapors as it hit the ground, the red vapors swirling around Chara as it evaporated.

When the spell was finished, the pool of blood, which had been in Chara's hands, was now gone. Chara's new body didn't look so different from her old "shell," though. She was slightly more tan, but that was about it. The magic was turning into tiny little shards of light, filling the air.

But that was the simple task. I had completed the difficult task.

And in my hands was an inverted white heart, suspended a few inches above my hands. A monster soul.

"Asriel." I said. "It's yours. Take it."

He hesitated. "Who's is it?" he asked.

"No one's," I answered. "I made it. A soul all for yourself."

Asriel looked it left and right, up and down. Then, he stretched out a single paw and took it, his body emitting a faint glow as the soul was absorbed into him. We were then silent for a few minutes.

Finally Asriel spoke. "Well, erm...I've still got control over this pocket dimension we're in. Any time you wanna head back? It'll drop us all right in the Barrier room."

I looked at Chara. She looked at me.

"Let's go greet mom and dad," she said to Asriel.

Light flooded the room, turning my vision into pure white.

* * *

When the light faded, I found myself staring at a gray rock surface. It took me a while to realize that I, in fact, was lying face down on the floor of the Barrier room. It took me a little while more to realize that my entire body was sore.

"Chara?" I groaned. "Asriel?" I picked my head up. Everyone who was in the Barrier room, originally, before Flowey trapped us all, was walking around.

"Here." Asriel's voice came from his body lying face-up. He raised an arm up. "Whoa, I have arms." he commented, as he accidentally slapped himself in the snout.

I tried to get myself off the ground, but my legs almost instantly gave out beneath me. Seems like the amount I burned myself out carried over to here. I staggered like a drunk person and held myself against a wall. Urgh. I felt sick.

"You two alright?" Chara asked, getting off the ground from being curled up as she redid her hair just well enough.

"Finer than ever." I muttered. Asriel gave her a thumbs up.

Around the corner, I heard voices.

"There's some more people around here!" Chara and Asriel paled by a few shades. But, as Asgore and Toriel turned the corner, their gasps were of excitement, as they each ran over to hug their children.

"Mom, please, you're choking me," Asriel groaned. "I just got back." A light smile curled on his lips, however, as he hugged back.

"How has it been, Chara?" Asgore rumbled, while lifting his daughter into the air, twice her height and crushing her against him. Chara let out a little squeak. I watched and smiled.

Then, he turned to me. "Did you bring my children back, Frisk?"

I nodded.

"Then, I thank you for what you have done." Asgore stated. He kneeled in front of me, quite respectfully. I'll admit, I blushed a little bit. My legs started to give a little as Chara helped Asriel off the ground.

"Can you two walk?" Chara asked.

"I...maybe?" I answered, as I stumbled forwards a few steps.

"That's a no." Chara laughed, as she caught Asriel in the other arm. Her new body was a fair bit stronger than her old body. It was woven into it by the magic we used. "And that's a no for you as well, Asriel." She placed us both on rocks for us to sit on.

Suddenly, shouting could be heard from around the corner. "Asgore!"

"The others are back, it seems." Asgore said. "I sent them to check up on the monsters and tell them the Barrier was broken. We'll be checking ahead with the authorities on the surface. The breaking must have been quite a show, given by this magic dust."

I finally noticed that there was, in fact, the same little white shards of magic floating in the air from my act of creation, like dust. I recalled the magic we used, the glowing, flaming hawk. I put my hand over my heart, which felt quite warm.

"Yes, yes it was." I told Asgore. "It was quite the show."

"If only I was there to see it." Asgore remarked. He stood up as Undyne, Papyrus, Sans, and Alphys burst into the room, Sans walking towards Chara while Papyrus and Undyne clamored for Asgore's attention. Alphys walked towards me.

"So...uh...how do you feel? I'm mainly asking because no one's ever done an act of true creation before...I mean, magicians have conjured carbon-based compounds, entire bodies at times, but never life…it must have been astronomical. Only powerful spells leave magic dust." she asked. She was scrambling for her Android to take notes.

"Tired." I commented. "A fair bit weaker than I want to be. But warm."

Alphys pushed her glasses back up her nose. In the light of the magic dust, I saw a magical rune of sorts etched into the lenses of her glasses.

"And your magic is nearly dry...expected." Alphys muttered as she glanced at me, then down at her phone. "Thank you for the information, Frisk. It's just...no spell like this has been attempted before. All of it was theoretical."

"Do you have your memories back as well?" I asked Alphys.

"I do." She answered. "Oh, by the way, I'll be telling Chara and Asriel this as well, but show up at my lab for some physical and magical therapy once every two days for, oh, the next month. Chara moreso she can get adjusted to her new strength."

"Alright." I nodded, as Undyne and Papyrus finished poking, prodding, and examining Asriel and Chara.

"Alright, alright. Everyone settle down," Asgore rumbled. "Let's all go and check ahead to see how it is up there."

The Surface. Chara helped me off the wall, where she served as sort of a support for me, and a crutch for Asriel, him being over a foot taller than I was. Slowly, we walked towards the sunlight, Chara squinting against it while Asriel and I shielded our eyes against the rising sun. All the monsters walking up did the same as well, marching up to the sun.

When our eyes adjusted to the brightness, we looked down the mountain. Below, magic dust was fluttering down on the humans as news outlets gawked, filming us walking out of the cave of Ebott.

"It appears the humans have advanced quite far in the centuries we were gone." Toriel remarked. Everyone nodded.

"Well, I say we greet them!" Papyrus beamed. "GREETINGS, HUMANS!" His words sent the reporters below into a frenzy of camera flashes and shouting. "I think they loved it!" he beamed.

"course they would, bro." Sans commented.

"Undyne." Asgore commanded. "Tell the monsters below to hold off on emigration. We first need to talk with human authorities about space for a monster town, as well as an emigration cycle."

"Yes, sir." Undyne saluted, first making a diagonally cutting motion up across her chest, then raised her arm to her forehead.

"Go." Asgore said. Undyne sprinted off, back into the Underground. "In the meantime, we need an ambassador. And I hate to ask this, but can you three children be our ambassadors?"

"Are you kidding me?" I asked. Chara and Asriel looked at me, in some concern. "Heck yeah." I answered.

"Do you have a place to stay?" Toriel asked me.

"Um…" I thought about it. "Not really…my family is dead."

"Can Frisk stay with us?" Asriel asked.

"Then, would you be alright if we adopted you, Frisk?" Asgore asked. I nodded, as I gave Chara and Asriel, my new siblings, a huge grin.

As we walked down the side of the mountain, to speak with the swarm of news reporters, I thought how I fell down Mount Ebott. In the middle of a rainstorm? Seriously? But it didn't matter now, the ridiculousness of my fall.

When we got to the reporters, they had camp chairs hastily set up for the three of us. There was a rock nearby for Asgore's intimidating size. The reporters, after getting past the initial shock of all of this, began to ask questions. One of them stood out in particular.

"If you get a city or a reservation, what will you name it?"

I looked at Asgore. He looked at the three of us kids.

"Go on, you all name it. You know I'm bad at names." he said. Both Chara and Asriel looked at me.

What did I want to name this? What name would fit? We were just out of the Underground, and all of us were...turning a new leaf.

"Newleaf," I said.


	41. Chapter 38: Special Thanks

### After Everything's Over...

"So...huge monster meetup party?" I asked Toriel, as we arrived at the beachside. I brought out the beach bag and speaker box with Asriel.

"Yes, Frisk. Here, children. Let me." Toriel took the box out of our hands, easily carrying the heavy speakers towards a stage Mettaton was hurriedly trying to set up. I went back to the car and grabbed the tables, while Chara ran past me.

"Hey, Chara, what's the rush?" I asked.

"Don't wanna be late. Don't wanna be late." she muttered. "Oh, sorry, Frisk. Aren't you worried?"

"Worry? What's the worry?"

"What? You already memorized the script?" she asked, incredulous. "I never even saw you touch it once!"

I was confused. "What script?" I asked, whirling around. I started noticing a few things. Toriel muttering to herself, Asgore hurriedly wiring speakers, Mettaton was reading a sheet of paper over and over again, Napstablook making sure his DJ set worked. Sans and Alphys were huddled around a few sheets of paper, and Asriel was practicing his magic. Asriel noticed me.

"Come on, Frisk. You arranged this yourself. Don't say you've forgot." He said. "Here, I'll carry that."

He took the tables and ran off, while Chara finished her job. She was panting. "Did you seriously think everything was over?" she asked.

"Um...yes?"

"Come on, don't tell me you forgot about the special thanks!"

"Special thanks…?" I wondered, then suddenly remembered. "Oh crap! I totally forgot!"

"Don't worry. I got you covered." Asriel and Chara waved around a stack of cue cards.

"Whew. Thanks." I breathed a sigh of relief as a fluttering noise came from the parking lot. A bird held a camera in it's claws. "Oh, looks like it's about to begin." I commented.

"Yeah, and you're up first!" Asriel shouted, pushing me up. "Ready, Frisk? Let's end this all for good! Napstablook! Hit it!"

Napstablook nodded at Asriel as he began playing a really awesome techno track.

The first few bars started. On cue, I read, "Hey, guys, before this story closes out, the author would love to thank the inspirations he had throughout this entire journey!" as the bird hovered in front.

The bird flew over to Asriel. "First," he said, as his hands sparked with rainbow colors, "the author would like to thank the developer of Undertale, Toby Fox."

Chara pushed him aside. "Also thanks to the lead artist Temmie, or Tuyoki. Also, to the other artists, easynam and merrigo, as well as their animator, Guzuguru!"

Asriel pushed his way back in. "Also, thank Gainax for Gurren Lagann, Andrew Hussie for Homestuck, and the Earthbound dev teams! Yes, those were actual inspirations."

They both ran out of view as Toriel, carrying a pie, walked in front of the camera. "Also, the author would like to thank his fellow writers, such as CourierNew, author of One By One, UnderAnon, author of Inseperable, LittleMarbles, author of Undertale: After Freedom, The Vampire Avatar, author of Their Savior, Frisk, FluffPuffCat, author of Intimacy, as well as GreatestDog, author of A Happy Ending. They were all incredible inspirations for his work."

Toriel patiently walked off as Papyrus giving Sans a ride on his shoulders walked in. "The author would also like to thank the numerous art blogs and AU blogs, also being great insprations! NYEH HEH HEH!" Papyrus shouted. Sans followed with

"such as dreamer reborn, half-hearted dreamers, soulful asriel, and goopy soul."

Undyne picked up Papyrus, creating a pillar of people sitting on top of each other. "Also thanks to the Underchara blog, the authors of the Underline AU, the creator of Endertale, and the Pacifist Flavor Text Chara story blog!" she shouted, running off.

"Uh...also thanks to the Goat Son AU blog, Nekolu's Change of Heart series, and also to Askthegeno-pacifist, Genocidal-Pacifistic, TheFirstFallenKid, Matthew Toro, Sai-Shou, the creator of Ask Mercy Series, and the creator of the Ambassador web comic. Speaking of which, I need to check if there was an update..." Alphys shakily said, popping in after Undyne ran off into the water, where the pillar of monsters collapsed. The bird flew over to Mettaton who was on the stage, with about a hundred monsters watching.

"Aaand...that's not it yet, folks! The author could not have done this without inspirations from Ask The Determined Savior, many universe theories from Dokudoki, as well as the Wikipedia foundation for keeping all the facts in line!" Mettaton half-sang, half shouted into the microphone, while dancing.

The bird flew over to Asgore, who was just finished with setting up the chairs. "Thanks to the Undertale and Underminer subreddits, for their numerous theories, as well as the Undertale AU Discord." he rumbled, as Chara, Asriel, and I dashed towards the bird.

In unison, the three of us shouted, "And most important of all, thank you all readers, for sticking with us throughout this story! You continuous support has not been forgotten!"

Chara and I stood back as Asriel charged up his own special attack. Asriel let loose a torrent of stars, rainbow colored lightning, and assorted eye candies. The skies lit up with magical fireworks as the music ended.

Everyone cheered as the sparks crackled through the air, filling the night sky with thousands of twinkling stars, before dissipating into nothing.

"Hey, Frisk. Is it really over?" Asriel asked.

"Not yet. I have one last thing to attend to." I answered, as we went for a huge bowl of fruit punch.


	42. Chapter 39: The Ending.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zero.

### Epilogue: Despite Everything...

The breeze blew. I stood in my jacket, staring at five headstones. They stared back.

The falling sunlight cast its golden rays over me, elongating the shadows. I squinted against the sunlight, but besides that, I didn't care too much. All I cared about were the five headstones.

I took a deep breath in. Then, I kneeled down. On the headstones were the names: Melissa Long, Martin Long, Jeffery Long, Hugo Williams, and Sarah Williams. Names I was familiar with.

"Hey mom, dad, bro. Gramps and Gran. Sorry about not visiting." I said, hoping they were listening. The world seemed to not care.

"Uh...life has been okay, after you left. There were a few rough spots, but I got through. I went on this awesome adventure that any kid would have wanted to go on."

The leaves in the trees stirred.

"I freed an entire race, trapped underneath our very own feet. Pretty cool, huh? Yeah, I know you're jealous, Jeff." I said, patting his headstone. "And, on top of that, their king and queen decided to adopt me as their kid! So, uh...I guess everything worked out."

The grass rustled in the breeze.

"I'm getting along with them all quite nicely. They asked me to be their ambassador to humanity, as well. Oh, and I'm kind of fused into one being with their top scientist. Or rather...he gave his life so I could save more."

I chuckled. Waves crashed against the shoreline.

"If there's only one wish I had though...I wish all of you were here to see your little daughter, all grown up. But hey, you're all watching, right?" I gave the headstones a bright smile.

**Beep beep!**

A low, rumbling voice came from the dark red Sequoia that just rolled up to the cemetery. Two distinct child-like figures sat in the back, one human, one humanoid.

"Frisk!" they shouted.

"Oh, sorry. That's my adoptive family. I've got to go now, bye!" I said, running towards Asgore and Toriel, waving at me.

I jumped into the car, where Asriel and Chara were sitting. "Saying a few words to thefamily?" Chara asked.

"Yeah. I hope they're happy." I sighed.

The car drove off, leaving the cemetery in the dust.

* * *

My name is Frisk. Or, at least that's what everyone calls me. My real name is Fortune, but no one really calls me by that name. I used to live with a human family. But, they've all passed on, maybe to a better life. I wasn't the happiest of people, I guess you could say. From them, I still receive pension funds and life insurance. An income of sorts. Those, however, now go to my adoptive parents, though they give me, and my siblings, a good share of it, at least for the allowance kids get. My siblings tend to be slightly irresponsible with it, though.

We mostly stay in the house my parents lived in. Our family friends live in our grandparents' house, or in that apartment halfway between. Us three siblings get along quite nicely. We would try our hands at cooking and take care of household chores, and once school starts, we're going there.

Oh, and my adoptive mom and dad are goat monsters. My brother's one as well. And my sister? She's a ghost. Kind of. And me? I saved the world. Three hundred times. And now, I'm the prime ambassador for all of monsterkind. A bit nuts for a kid that's just turning thirteen, isn't it?

But even after all of that, there's still things I love doing. I still love history. I still like occasionally riding around Mount Ebott. And I still like to remember my old family, and remember that they're still watching. I really haven't changed all that much.

Or maybe I have and I was just being humble. But after it all, it really was just another story about another person that you could find. Or, I guess if you wanted to be more specific, well, it was...

### A Story of Me, Frisk.


	43. [...]

**[...]**

**THIS ISN'T OVER YET**  
**THERE ARE GREATER THINGS TO BE DONE**  
**MY TASK IS NOT YET FINISHED**  
**MY LEGACY IS NOT YET REVEALED**  
**HAPPY ENDINGS ARE ONLY AN EMPTY LIGHT**

**HOPE PROJECT: BOOK TWO**   
**THE LOST FILES**

**HOPE PROJECT: BOOK THREE  
A STORY OF US **


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